Tender Hooks
by Replacement for the Stars
Summary: Young Severus Snape has a friend, a friend only he can see. Snarry. Contains: non-con, dub-con chan slash, eventual bdsm, child-on-child relations, abuse, slash; canon pairings, nothing to do with wool. The chapters get longer as the story progresses.
1. Chapter One, Rise of the Sun

**Disclaimer: I own naught.**

**Warnings:** Specter!Harry. Slash.  
**Pairings:** Lily/Sev _friendship_. Severus Snape/Harry Potter slash.

**Note:** The use of 'tender' in the title is completely intentional. I do not mean 'tenterhooks', I assure you. Please no more messages about that.

_**Tender Hooks  
****By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**_

Chapter One:  
Rise of the Sun

_The sun is rising  
The screams have gone  
Too many have fallen  
Few still stand tall  
'The Howling', Within Temptation_

(O.o)  
Year: **1967  
Date: ****January the Second**

The wide-eyed boy sat on the edge of Severus's rickety bed, swinging his bare feet absently as he watched the thin form hunt through the pile of blankets across the room. "Yo' know," the green eyed boy informed the thin body, "If yo' jist pick'd up th' blank't…it'd f'll 'ut." The green eyes crinkled as his adept use of the English language, although Severus's full-body shudder implied the thin boy did not agree.

Small black eyes glanced at the boy over a worn sweater that was slipping off his bare shoulder, entirely unperturbed by the sudden presence of the small boy. Severus sighed to himself and clenching his jaw, he lifted up the edge of the thinning top blanket and threw it up, the book he had been searching for immediately falling to the ground. The green eyed boy giggled and swiveled off the bed, stepping over on fairy toes to stand next to Severus, who turned and scowled at him. "Nessie"—for the boy did not have a name, so Severus had proudly taken up the mantle—"you should not be here. Father will not be pleased."

Nessie scooped up the fallen book and cradled it in his small hands, caressing the coverless pages and the spidery handwriting that was indecipherable. He shrugged off Severus's concern as he handed the thick book to his friend, who turned immediately around and dropped his too-thin body on top of his sagging bed. Nessie curled up next to him, nearly on top of the older boy, not that either of them seemed to mind. "'Snot lik' y'ur f'ther cin see me, 'nyw'y, Sevvie," Nessie informed the taller boy, who acquiesced with a soft sigh. He adjusted himself slightly on the bed, pushing up so that his back was resting against the wall, Nessie moving so that he was in Severus's arms, and the young man opened his book and quietly read out loud, his young companion quickly falling asleep.

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To those who didn't see the message at the top: the use of 'tender' in the title is completely intentional. I did not mean 'tenterhooks'. Please no more messages about that.


	2. Chapter Two, Cruelty

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Two:  
Cruelty

_Blinded to see  
The cruelty of the beast  
_'The Truth Beneath The Rose', Within Temptation

(O.o)  
Year: **1967  
**Date: **January the Ninth**

His seventh birthday was ignored, as it was all other years, except for Nessie sitting on his lap and giving him a bright kiss on a sallow cheek. He had been quietly reading out loud to the small child when he had suddenly been gifted with a cried, "H'ppy birfd'y, Sevvie!" and a sloppy press of lips to his cheek. Although he had been rather disgusted with the amount of saliva on his face, it was worth the smile Nessie had gifted him with.

"Thank you," Severus finally replied, and Nessie brightly grinned again, ducking his head down to rest it under Severus's chin. A moment later, the door was thrown open and Nessie flinched furiously in Severus's arms, curling even tighter into a fetal position, even though both Nessie and Severus knew that only Severus could see the small boy. "Father?" he queried politely, and set his book aside, running a soft hand over the coverless book. It was the only one he owned, and he had read it at least a dozen times.

"You worthless child," Tobias Snape snarled, and suddenly threw himself out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Severus merely lifted an eyebrow and Nessie sat up, twisting his small hands in Severus's hair.

"Why 'e s'y dat t' y'u, Sevvie?"

Severus sighed softly, unwilling to admit that he believed it to be true. If this has been any other person, he would have quickly come up with a lie—_Oh, he's just kidding,_ or _Most likely had a bad day at the mill_—but this was _Nessie_, his favorite person in the world, even over the pretty girl who lived across the way, Lily. "Because it is true," he told Nessie softly, and the wide eyes he received in response were enough to make the serious child's lips quirk slightly.

"Why?"

Severus sighed softly and leaned once again back the wall his ragged bed was shoved up against. Nessie did not curl up on his thin chest, which was alright, as even though the boy was nearly weightless, it was enough to inhibit his breathing. The small hands fell from Severus's greasy hair as Nessie settled himself in Severus's lap, wrapping small fingers around Severus's wrists. "He tells me I am worthless and useless and abnormal," Severus admitted, smallish black eyes boring into Nessie's soft green. "Why would he tell me that if it were not true?"

Nessie played idly with Severus's long fingers as he thought over the question. While the boy was young, Severus was well aware that he was brightly intelligent and quick-witted. His mind would not have created such a child and then made it irritatingly stupid. "I th'nks y'u're n't…" he struggled obviously with the word and finally got something close to it, "wr'thl'ss, Sevvie."

Severus ducked his head in acknowledgement of the compliment and allowed Nessie to curl up in his arms.

(O.o)

Early in the morning of Severus's seventh birthday, Severus and Nessie were downstairs, listening to Eileen and Tobias fight over what they were having for dinner that night. Nessie looked around the small sitting room, his back to the fire. The walls were covered in mostly empty bookcases, except for a few textbooks that Tobias couldn't see; Sevvie said the reason his father couldn't see the books was because he wasn't special, like they were. Nessie had been assured that he was special, as well. There was a small, sagging couch right in front of them, and Severus reclined in one corner of it, ignoring the broken and twisted springs making his seat uncomfortable. Nessie sat, cross-legged, at Severus's height in the air, occasionally doing a soft spin to keep his mind occupied. Severus was staring into the fire, although he wished to be reading, he would not. His father had ripped the covers from his book and Severus was well aware that his father would not hesitate to rip the rest of the precious book apart.

Nessie looked up from his small hands when Tobias stomped into the room, and with a quick gesture, he warned his Sevvie. Severus looked up and then softened his entire body when the harsh, dark voice began berating him. "You worthless freak! El should have aborted you when she fell down the stairs, like I told 'er to!" Nessie watched as spittle flew from Tobias's lips and landed on Severus's sallow skin, and he clenched his small hands, glaring furiously at his friend's father.

As Tobias continued, Nessie racked his brain for something to take the cruelly ashamed look off his Severus's face. Quietly, he began to recite, "_Of louers sad calamities of old,/Full many piteous stores doe remaine,/But none more piteous euer was ytold,/Than that of _Amorets_ hart-binding chaine,/And this of _Florimels_ vnworthie paine:/The deare compassion of whose bitter fit/My softened heart so sorely doth constraine,/That I with teares full oft doe pittie it,/And oftentimes doe wish it neuer had bene writ._" Nessie's full lips curled up into a soft smile at the distracted, soft look on Severus's face, and he mentally congratulated himself on being the one to do such a thing. "D'd y'u lik' it, Sevvie?" he asked innocently, airily propelling himself to drop into Severus's lap and twine his body around the elder boy. Tobias was yelling something but neither boy paid attention, more content to cuddle than be marred.

A soft call halted both the embrace and Tobias's screams as a pretty young girl stepped through the small house. "Sev?" she called through, and Nessie found himself quickly displaced as Severus darted off to greet Lily. Nessie frowned at Tobias's ugly leather shoes and pushed his hand through one, watching amusedly as the man swore viciously under his breath and hopped away, shaking the foot that Nessie had shoved his hand through. "Happy birthday!" Nessie heard, and he floated through, landing on his feet in between Severus and Lily as she handed the taller boy a badly wrapped birthday present. Lily looked slightly confused when Severus had to step around Nessie to give her a small, one-armed hug, but when Severus exclaimed happily over the new book, Nessie twirled happily around the extremely tiny kitchen. He was happy if Severus was happy. At least Lily hadn't kissed him. Severus was only for Nessie to kiss, the young boy decided, and stopped his spinning when Severus threw him a confused look, pulling on his long coat when Lily invited him over to her house for the day.

Nessie followed along, floating along on his back as he watched the sky.

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I told you the updates would be frequent. This is most likely the longest chapter. _The Faerie Queene_ (what Nessie quoted) is Book IIII, Canto I, Verse 1, authored by Edmund Spenser and translated by the Penguin English Poets/Thomas P. Roche, Jr. I do not own _The Faerie Queene_. This is not the last time it will show up, as it is easily one of my favorite epic poems (I'm a freak for 'em). Nessie did not speak the quote in his usual speak because I figured it would be so confusing that people would stop reading.  
Happy readings,  
Replacement for the Stars


	3. Chapter Three, Fly

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Three:  
Fly

_You know years are like those bees  
And dandelion seeds  
Gone in the blink of an eye  
Oh look at 'em fly  
_'Look At 'Em Fly', Craig Morgan

(O.o)  
Year: **1968  
**Date: **July the Thirty-First**

Nessie sat up as his magic told him it was now his birthday, and he danced happily around the small room, throwing up his hands and creating golden and grey sparkles to rain down upon him. Severus groaned under his breath and woke up, immediately reaching out a hand to turn on the single light on his tiny nightstand, the only light in the room, and sighed at Nessie's pleasure. He pulled out a small item from under his bed and cradled it in his hands as he waited patiently for Nessie to calm down.

Finally, Nessie darted over to him and pressed a fleeting kiss to both of Severus's sallow cheeks, declaring it was his birthday right when Severus threw him a bemused look with a twitch of his thick eyebrows. Severus pressed the small thing into Nessie's hands and it unfolded into a grey paper butterfly. "I don't know how I made it," Severus admitted, getting caught up in the utter enthrallment of Nessie's wide green eyes, "I was just sitting in front of a piece of paper, telling myself I needed to make you something for your birthday, and all of a sudden, the paper folded up into _that_."

"Yo''re m'gicf'lk," Nessie breathed, and with one hand releasing the precious gift, it fluttered softly around his head, grey paper wings beating softly against the air. He would keep it with him always, Nessie decided, and threw himself into Severus's thin arms, crying out his thanks.

Severus only smiled and clenched the precious boy in his arms tighter. He would tell Lily tomorrow that he was magicfolk, but, for now, Nessie was all the world he needed.

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Review Responses for Ch2:**

Jisa: Thank you! I understand that, and thank you. Nessie isn't supposed to be understood by anyone other than Severus; it's part of his charm. And anyway, when I think about Nessie talking, I see (hear, whatever) him without any vowels, which is what I attempted to portray. Thanks again!  
Davinci: Thank you!! Can I say a perfect review? Because that's totally what that was! Thank you!  
Katsy17: Thank you!  
-Replacement


	4. Chapter Four, Thoughts

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Four:  
Thoughts

_If we can't restrain  
The beast which dwells inside  
_'Our Solemn Hour', Within Temptation

(O.o)  
Year: **1968  
**Date: **August the Twelfth**

"Aw, poor Tuney," Severus mocked as he stepped loftily around Lily's elder sister. "Just a poor little _Muggle_." From behind Lily, Nessie giggled under his breath and floated above her to get a better look. "How _disappointed_ your parents must be. I, for one, cannot even _imagine_ it." Nessie giggled again and floated over, the butterfly still circling around his head, to lean fully against Severus's side, sticking against him even though he was moving. Lily watched as Severus's left arm moved slightly so that it looked like it was cradling someone against his side, his long, slender thumb looking as if it were stroking someone's side.

"Sev," Lily said tiredly, "Stop." Severus was her friend, yes, but, _really_, he was kind of annoying. And he knew more about magic, _bad_ magic, than Lily felt he should. And the way he constantly stared off into the distance, as if there was someone there that she couldn't see, was just _spooky_.

A soft, childlike giggle floated on the breeze and Lily whipped around, searching for the source. Suctioned against Severus's side, a puddle contorted from love, Nessie giggled again and wrapped his thin arms around Severus's waist, pressing his cold skin to Severus's warmth.

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Ch3 Review Responses:

Jisa: :) Thank you!  
casey!: *chuckles madly* Whoever said he wasn't already in the story?  
-Replacement 


	5. Chapter Five, Sick

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Five:  
Sick

_I'm sorry if you can't stand the naked truth  
All you see is how you want it to be  
So you keep on living your lie  
_'The Cross', Within Temptation

(O.o)  
Year: **1968  
**Date: **November the Twenty-Eighth**

Severus shivered tightly, skin too hot and the rest of his body too cold. No matter the amount of blankets piled on top of his thin body, he was still freezing. He watched as Nessie paced furiously around the room, an inch above the floor, the butterfly still fluttering the maddening circles around his head. Severus would have chuckled slightly at the sight if he wasn't so _sick_. He coughed slightly again, gut rippling with pain, and settled softly, with a sigh, into Nessie's small, concerned hands as they framed his face.

"Sevvie," Nessie rasped, so concerned he could puke, "Wh't's wr'ng?"

Severus coughed, a horrible rasp of a thing, feeling his lungs tremble and his entire body shake. He squeezed his fists into twists at the edge of the thin blankets on top of him, holding his eyes so tightly shut that he saw sparkles at the edge of the blackness, everything taking a sheen of horror and fear in the back of his mind. "Sick," was all he could say. Rasp, really, but Nessie's terrified green gaze told him that his tone didn't matter. The boy floated over, wringing his hands furiously, the grey butterfly flapping directly in front of his eyes for a few moments. Severus only regretted the giving of the butterfly to Nessie for the singular seconds in which he could not see the concern bubbling over in Nessie's wide green gaze.

And even though Severus felt like he was dying, head hurting and his nose all stuffy, throat scratchy and his stomach unable to hold anything more than the weakest of broth, he felt as if he would be certainly fine, just as long as Nessie never stopped caring.

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Ch4 Review Responses:

Davinci: You have _no_ idea how much I want to help you with this. You're on the right track, I'll give you that. Here: Nessie is magical. Think Dementors. And then some. Thank you!  
Jisa: Thank you!!  
.: Thank you! And here's that update. :)  
-Replacement 


	6. Chapter Six, Yeah, Pie

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Six:  
Yeah, Pie

_Hold my pie.  
__Sir, hold it or wear it.  
_—Det. Spooner, I, Robot

(O.o)  
Year: **1969  
**Date: **May the Ninth**

Severus pointed at Nessie with his fork as his hand cradled the warmed plate in his lap. "All you are is jealous that you cannot partake in this _delicacy_," he informed the other boy, who giggled at him and twirled around in the air, the butterfly still _somehow_ fluttering around Nessie's head, making the boy look a thousand times as innocent as he was. The half-eaten slice of sweet potato pie in his lap made by his mother was as delicious as pie came and it was one of the few things that Eileen Prince-Snape could manage to make without either infuriating Tobias or somehow turning it into dust.

Nessie spun around and then darted over, eyes glowing mischievously as he floated just in front of the nine-year-old, crossing his legs Indian-style as he held out a hand on top of the pie. Bright eyes squeezed shut as Severus looked between the pie and the other boy, his own onyx gaze narrowing thoughtfully. Small fingers clenched into a fist and slowly, the half-eaten slice disappeared.

Severus literally gaped. Nessie was a figment of his imagination; the other boy _did not exist_. However, how could something that did not exist vanish something that clearly did exist? Wide onyx eyes looked between the floating boy and the empty plate. "What _are_ you?" he whispered hoarsely, and could feel the smile fall off Nessie's face.

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Ch5 Review Responses:

Jisa: Thank you!  
-Replacement 


	7. Chapter Seven, Past

**Warning:** This chapter contains mention of past abuse.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Seven:  
Past

_The fate I'm lookin' at there ain't know way around  
A long and lonely path I'm destined to go down  
_'Hope For Me Yet', Dierks Bentley

(O.o)  
Year: **1969  
**Date: **May the Eleventh**

It had been two days, and Severus had not spoken to Nessie at all. He had ignored the other boy even when his half-eaten sweet potato pie had reappeared in front of him, he had ignored the other boy when wide green eyes had implored him to at least acknowledge that Nessie was there, he had ignored the other boy when Nessie had quoted his favorite passages from _The Faerie Queene_. Severus had even purposefully turned away when Nessie started crying after Severus had obviously chosen to hang out with Lily and Petunia instead of him.

However, not even Severus Snape could ignore the soft words Nessie was breathing as he floated, looking decidedly too-pale and perhaps a tad bit lucent, above the foot of Severus's small bed.

"My Uncl' h'rt me. H' s'id b'd thi'gs." Nessie took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. In the moment he had, Severus looked up to see the butterfly he had given Nessie give one last pump of its grey wings before swaying to an exhausted rest in the tangle of Nessie's black hair. Severus made sure to be looking obviously down at his book and visibly ignoring the other boy as he ruthlessly mutilated the English language when Nessie reopened his eyes, the green gaze far too damning for Severus's tastes. "I 'm b'd, Sevvie. A b'd bo'. Fre'k. My A'nt d'dn't fe'd m'. S'id fo'd w's onl' f'r go'd boys. 'ts why 'm so sm'll." Nessie paused and Severus could feel the other boy shift as he attempted to collect his thoughts. "F'rst t'me Uncl' hit m', I w's th's meny." Nessie held forward two fingers and Severus glanced up before he could stop himself. Nessie's small hands twisted again in his lap as he continued undeterred. "Was w'th belt. I w's b'd, Sevvie, v'ry, v'ry bad. At' too m'ch wifo't per—p'r—p'rmiss'on. Onl' h'd toas'. On' pi'ce. I co'ldn't m've f'r t'ree d'ys. M'de me t'll h'm all th' th'ngs I did wr'ng, lik' liv'ng. Lik' bre'th'ng. L'ved in c'ge unt'l f'ur, th'n d'dn't liv' an'm're." The butterfly in Nessie's hair gave a feeble flap of the grey wings and then went motionless once again. "W's ask'd qu'stion: d'e or liv'." Nessie looked up and somehow managed to catch Severus's gaze. Holding it tightly, like a precious child, Nessie expounded, "Ch'se t' liv'."

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Translation: _My Uncle hurt me. He said bad things. I'm bad, Sevvie. A bad boy. Freak. My Aunt didn't feed me. Said food was only for good boys. It's why I'm so small. First time Uncle hit me, I was this many. Was with belt. I was bad, Sevvie, very, very bad. Ate too much without permission. Only had toast. One piece. I couldn't move for three days. Made me tell him all the things I did wrong, like living. Like breathing. Lived in cage until four, then didn't live anymore. Was asked question: die or live. Chose to live.  
_This will be the only chapter in which Nessie's words are translated. Perhaps it will give you, the readers, a better understanding of what he is saying. I will not change how he speaks, as I like it and there's a reason for it. Perhaps it will get better with time, but it is doubtful. Nessie will explain more on his abuse and how he came to be with Severus once he understands it.  
Happy readings,  
Replacement for the Stars  
Oh, and another thing: To anyone who reads _Morsus_, have no fear, the next chapter is soon here! It'll be posted in a couple of days, I'm hoping.

**Ch6 Review Responses:  
**cyiusblack: Here you go!  
Maloanne: Thank you!  
Jisa: Oi! That it does! :) Thanks  
-Replacement


	8. Chapter Eight, Flowers

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Eight:  
Flowers

_Once I had the rarest rose  
__That ever deigned to bloom  
__Cruel winter chilled the bud  
__And stole my flower too soon  
_Annie Lennox

(O.o)  
Year: **1969  
**Date: **June the Sixth**

Petunia watched from the bottom of the slide as Lily swung on one of the swings and Severus absently pushed the other, empty swing, Lily's melodic laughter ringing out over the small park. Although she couldn't help it, jealousy swarmed up inside Petunia's gut and burned a path down her spine, forcing her to grit her jaw in pain. Lily, Lily, _Lily_. Everyone liked her, everyone was so proud of the _freak_. Nobody else seemed to see what Petunia saw, that Lily was disgusting and _wrong_ and needed to be put down, like that nasty Snape boy.

Petunia sighed under her breath and idly swung her feet, turning her head to look out over the small grove of trees in which she and Lily had met Severus for the first time. The boy had been watching them for days before he had announced himself. He was really rather creepy, with his long, greasy hair and big nose and piercing black eyes and how he always seemed to be talking to someone that didn't exist and how he wore too-long coats and weird clothes. Severus ignored her except to mock her.

A grey paper butterfly fluttered over from the area of the swings and darted just in front of Petunia in a circle. It was almost as if the butterfly was fluttering around a person's head, a constant circle. Severus walked quickly over—Petunia had never seen him run; she sometimes wondered if he could—and snatched the butterfly out of the air, hissing angrily under his breath as he shoved the butterfly in one of his pockets. Severus swung his head around and glared furiously at Petunia, who kept her gaze ruthlessly on his rather ugly face. How could two parents create a child so hideous? How could they not leave it when they saw what they had created? Petunia watched as Severus's thin lips bared, revealing long yellow teeth and a few gaps in his mouth where he had lost teeth and they hadn't grown in yet. How could Lily stand this boy? Severus spat something mean under his breath and whirled around to stalk through the small forest grove, leaving without saying goodbye; Petunia thought about it and wondered if he ever had.

Petunia watched curiously as one of Severus's arms looked as if it was cradling something precious against his side. Lily wandered over, brilliant green eyes bright, and both of them froze as a soft giggle echoed from the grove just as Severus's greasy head faded from sight.

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Ch7 Review Response

Jisa: Thank you!  
-Replacement 


	9. Chapter Nine, Birthday Presents

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Nine:  
Birthday Presents

_Well it might be me but the way I see it  
__The whole world has gone crazy  
So baby why don't we just dance  
_'Why Don't We Just Dance', Josh Turner

(O.o)  
Year: **1969  
**Date: **June the Twelfth**

Eileen Prince-Snape sat at their small kitchen table, staring at her hands as she waited until Tobias came home from the mill. She heard Severus's soft voice echo from the small sitting room and looked up to see him step into the kitchen, twirling a long-stemmed rose between his fingers, head buried in a worn book. Sighing to herself, Eileen watched as his thin lips formed unfamiliar words; what in the world was he reading? Eileen sighed again and pushed the thought out of her mind. She bought Severus any book he wanted with the meager amounts of money she saved up from the odd jobs she had taken up over the years. Her Severus was so smart, so talented, so dear. She was honored to have such a precious, brilliant son. Eileen knew that others would not see how dear and valuable her son was; however, as long as she had him, those other people didn't matter.

"Severus," Eileen murmured, and turned her body in the hard chair so that she was facing him. Hard black eyes looked up from the book and locked on her face; they glanced slightly to the side and softened. "Where did you get the rose?"

The hard chin lifted and he stopped spinning it between his fingers, those long digits caressing the green stem almost reverently. "A friend," he replied evasively, and shifted his thin body slightly. Eileen ran her eyes greedily over his features; this was _her_ son, nobody would take him from her. Severus was _hers_. The large, hooked nose, the sunken, cold black eyes, the large, heavy brow, the thin lips and hard chin…the long, too-thin body and greasy black hair…it was all hers. She had survived through Tobias's abuse and neglect for nine months to give birth to a child that would one day rule the world. She had not suffered through Tobias for a child who would be anything less.

Eileen dragged her eager gaze away from his face and looked down at the rose. It looked odd…like it was made from clouds. The colors were all there, a fervent, flushed red of the bud and the warm, spring green of the stem, but it looked wrong, as if the entire rose was softly transparent. The soft leaves and hard thorns were dark green and Eileen watched as the pad of one of the long, slender thumbs of her son ghosted over tip of one of the thorns, and a soft spot of blood welled up before being gently smoothed away by an invisible force. Eileen roiled back, stunned, and blinked furiously.

She met her son's eyes and watched as his thin lips curled upwards in a hideous, knowing sneer. "Good boy, Nessie," he breathed, and a soft, childlike giggle sounded throughout the small kitchen, a butterfly suddenly appearing and flying around in a circle up against Severus's side. As Eileen watched, horrified—what had happened to her son? What was possessing him? What had taken control of her boy?—Severus mockingly watched her, and Eileen understood.

She retreated and turned her gaze away, staring once again at her hands.

There was a soft voice, saying something far across the realm of understandable, and Severus gently laid the rose on the table, next to his Mother's arm. "Happy birthday, mother," he purred, and turned on his heel, stalking out of the room, too-long coat billowing out behind him. The butterfly paused for a moment, still fluttering in the never-ending circle, and then slowly followed after Severus, her beautiful son, and Eileen squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to look as she threw the rose across the table and down onto the floor, to where she could not see it. Tobias would destroy it once he came home, she knew, and then go yell at Severus for giving his mother a flower when they were all well aware that Tobias hated flowers. Then everything would be back to normal.

Severus's soft voice echoed out from the sitting room, unintelligible words screaming in horrible ribbons against and inside Eileen's skull and she slammed her own long hands to her ears, singing a soft lullaby under her breath. Her horrible, beautiful son.

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Ch8 Review Responses:

Jisa: Thank you!  
Davinci: *grin* Of course Severus is strange. That's just how I wanted him to come across as; after all, he's got to be at least a _bit_ weird to come to Hogwarts as a first year 'knowing more Dark curses than the seventh years' (that's a quote from some place). I just love Severus as being eccentric in fanfics, especially when it's written well. Those are some of my favorite fics. Anyway, on Petunia…I think that since she's so jealous of her sister's 'freakishness', she pays more attention to things that could be considered freakish, as to get more ammo to insult both her sister and Sev with. I think that Petunia is more observant than most people give her credit for and I'm portraying that. After all, even Muggles can see/sense magic, and if Petunia is trying to be a witch like her sister, she would be more susceptible to magic such as Nessie. Wow, that was a lot. Anyway, thanks a _ton_ for your reviews!  
-Replacement 


	10. Chapter Ten, Idiosyncrasies

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Ten:  
Idiosyncrasies

_Excuse me, we need to borrow your squirrels!  
_South Park, Episode 13.03 'Margaritaville'

(O.o)  
Year: **1969  
**Date: **June the Twelfth**

Tobias hadn't even noticed the rose, not even when Eileen had picked it up from the ground and taken it obviously over to the bin, breaking the stem and tearing off the silky petals. He had also not remembered her birthday, but that was unsurprising in the least. Tobias never remembered any birthday except for his own, and if the celebrations were not frivolous and extensive enough, he took the belt to Severus. Eileen was well aware enough that her Severus was magical—thank _Merlin_ for that; she did not want to know what Tobias would do to Severus if he had to stay in their house instead of going to Hogwarts—and so, perhaps, the rose was an outburst of accidental magic.

She hoped.

(O.o)  
Year: **1966  
**Date: **November the First**

Severus looked up from staring at the wall across from his bed when something unfamiliar and deep trickled throughout his entire body. Small hands with long fingers clenched into the worn and threadbare sheets on his bed, steadying his suddenly shaking body. The entire room trembled and Severus's eyes bugged out of their sockets as a soft white spark began spinning directly across from him and steadily growing larger, taking the shape of a highly unfamiliar boy. Messy black hair, pale, scarred skin, wide, scared green eyes, quickly getting larger and more opaque as the moments passed.

_Wow,_ Severus thought, _my want for a friend has come into fruition. But…how?_

Severus allowed his small black eyes to wander greedily over the small boy's body. A small mouth smiled widely at him and small white teeth glimmered from the single bulb hanging from a string above his bed. The boy sat cross-legged in the air above the end of Severus's bed, wringing his hands nervously as he slowly spun around to get a good look at the room. The boy kept glancing back at Severus with nervous little peeps, as if he knew something Severus didn't. Severus slowly pushed to his feet and stepped around his bed, standing patiently until the boy turned and was facing him. The boy flinched slightly and retreated immediately, gaping into Severus's eyes before slowly moving forward and touching Severus's cheek with the soft tip of one small hand.

His skin was cold, the temperature of ice in winter, the color of brightly furnished snow. The boy's skin was soft, touched with small scars on every pale plane. Severus had his own bout of scars but nothing of this extreme. The boy's small mouth fell open and Severus peered closer, blinking quickly in shock; even the boy's _gums_ were scarred! Who had done such a horrid thing to such a small child? "What is your name?" he queried curiously, still wondering why his mind had made this child such a dramatic entrance. He knew he was special, just like his mother, but _really_. A sparkle and a flash of light? It sounded more like unconscious magic or some other weird thing, not his mind.

Severus summarily dismissed the matter as the quietly responded, licking his lips between words, "I d'n't h've a n'me. Wh''re yo'?"

For a moment, Severus nearly gaped as the odd-sounding words echoing from the other boy's small mouth. It was almost as if the boy could not speak common vowels… "Open your mouth," Severus demanded, and the other boy obediently complied. Severus dropped his hand to the boy's knee and pushed him down, leaning forward so that he could peer curiously into the small cavern. The boy stuck out his tongue and made a soft 'aaaah' sound; Severus reeled backwards. The boy was missing a section of his tongue! No wonder he spoke so queerly… "What happened to you?" Merlin, his mind had created the oddest critter.

The boy shrugged and pulled away from Severus, straightening to stand up and spinning around the room on one foot, the other leg lifted off the ground. Severus noted that the boy had never touched the floor and blinked curiously. "My Uncl' d'dn't lik' m'," the boy explained simply, and Severus slowly allowed his thin lips to curve up in a grin. His mother took him to a Muggle bookstore quite often and Severus loved to peruse the psychology texts. If he remembered correctly, an abused child would often latch onto and come to depend on the first person to show them kindness after being taken from the abusive home. Merlin, his mind was smart, giving him what he had always wanted: someone to claim as his own, someone to be _his_.

"Come on!" Severus suddenly cried, darting over to snatch the cool hand and tug the boy up next to him, meeting bright green eyes with a smirk, "Let's go see my mum!"

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Ch9 Review Responses:

Jisa: *grins* That's what I was trying to get across. Weirdness is always awesome. Thanks!  
-Replacement 


	11. Chapter Eleven, Imaginary Friends

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Eleven:  
Imaginary Friends

_Oh, look, it's a talking squirrel.  
_South Park, Episode 13.02, 'The Coon'

(O.o)  
Year: **1966  
**Date: **November the First**

Eileen Prince-Snape looked up as her beloved six-year-old son darted into the sitting room, acting as if he was holding the hand of someone that was either invisible or didn't exist. Well, she figured, it was finally time for Severus to go through the imaginary friend phase. Didn't all children go through it? She certainly had. Although she imagined that Tobias hadn't; Tobias didn't seem to do very many normal things. Why had she married him again? She couldn't remember.

"Mum!" Severus cried, and moved his arm and hand as if he was pulling someone to stand in front of him. Well, he was much more physical with his imaginary friend than she had been with hers, but to each their own, she figured, smiling slightly at her son's bright black eyes. "I got a new friend!"

Eileen simply tilted her head and placed the _Daily Prophet_ off to the side and leaned encouragingly forward. "Really, Severus? And who is it?" She kept her gaze fastened on Severus's as he suddenly frowned, looking exactly like his father.

Severus moved slightly and waved his hand as if he was showing Eileen someone. "Him? Don't you see him?"

Eileen slowly shook her head and threw her son a smile. "No, son. He's not real, child. He is what is called an imaginary friend. Only you can see him."

Before Severus could answer, Tobias threw open the kitchen door and stomped into the sitting room, bellowing for Eileen. She pushed immediately to her feet, moving immediately to stand in front of her son; Severus looked wide-eyed between his mother and father, his boy friend still dangling off one hand. Severus retreated immediately to the corner, allowing the boy to curve up around him. "What's your name?" Severus murmured, keeping his eyes wide for his father.

The boy shrugged and rested his tiny chin on Severus's knee, wide green eyes flickering between Tobias and Severus's face. His shoulder's tensed whenever Tobias moved, which was quite often. "D'n't h've on'."

Severus sniffed haughtily. "Well, then, I'll have to give you one." The boy grinned widely and then nearly melted into Severus as Tobias turned his ferocious black gaze on them.

"Who's the freak talking to now, El?" he boomed, cold black eyes darting between his horrified son and his terrified wife. Before Severus could stop himself, he curled his face into his knees and cried, the other boy going wide eyed and futilely attempting to comfort him.

Eileen swallowed thickly and attempted to dismiss the matter with a quick, "It's just a passing fancy, Tobias. An imaginary friend."

Tobias's eyes bugged out as his cheeks burned red with rage. Eileen felt her face contort in a spasm of terror and she curled her body over her midsection, hoping beyond hope that his rage would not turn physical…this time. "An imaginary…imaginary _friend_?" Tobias roared, and before she could stop herself, Eileen nodded hurriedly. "What kind of…_freak_ has an imaginary friend?"

Eileen stretched out one hand, imploring. "He's only a child, Tobias, don't…don't hurt him. Just a little boy." Before she could stop herself, Eileen felt hot, wet tears course down her face, accurately conveying her utter terror of her husband.

Tobias whirled on Severus, flushed cheeks bringing his hooked nose out into sharp relief, and in the single moment before Tobias began bellowing, Severus's friend let out a small squeak of fear and disappeared in a soft flash of light. Severus lifted his tearful face from his knees and watched in amazement as his father was thrown back against the couch. Eileen threw Severus a horrified glance and Severus escaped, searching for his new friend in the small confines of the house.

His friend wasn't anywhere in the house; Severus had searched _everywhere_.

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Ch10 Review Responses:

Jisa: Thank you!  
-Zandris-: Thank you! Technically, yes, _Harry_ is dead. Yeah, he's growing; more of that will be explained later. Here's more; and thanks again!  
-Replacement 


	12. Chapter Twelve, Lollipops and Hot Choco

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twelve:  
Lollipops and Hot Chocolate

_If you wanna make me happy  
Pour me some bourbon on the rocks  
And play every sad song on the jukebox  
_'If You Want To Make Me Happy', Alan Jackson

(O.o)  
Year: **1969  
**Date: **November the Thirteenth**

Severus sat on one of the kitchen chairs in front of the window in his room, staring out over the softly falling snow. In his lap, he kept a chipped and cracked mug of hot chocolate between his knees and on the floor, to Severus's right, Nessie sat, resting his head on Severus's thigh as the elder boy gently stroked the black locks. Nessie glanced up at Severus, his small mouth twisting around a lollipop, and Severus wrenched his gaze away from the soft vision to meet Nessie's wide green eyes. Nessie had suddenly informed Severus that he wanted a lollipop, even though it had been obvious by now that the other boy did not eat, and one had appeared out of thin air. Nessie hadn't let it out of his mouth ever since he had stuck it first past his lips.

Severus gently tousled the perfectly soft black hair under his long hand and took a small sip of his hot chocolate, hearing Nessie give a quiet, contented sigh as he pressed his forehead into Severus's thigh. Both of Severus's parents had taken to essentially avoiding him in the past few months, ever since his Mother's birthday; evidently, she had somehow cast a feeble spell on Tobias to make him not bother Severus anymore, ever since the rose incident. Other than being ignored, books appeared in Severus's room at least once a week, books on nearly any subject. Dark Arts, Potions—those were his favorite—Charms, Transfiguration…he knew it was his mother's doing, but Severus was not going to stop her. He had always been fond of reading; it was an escape, an escape from his father and the neglect he suffered at the hands of both of his parents. His mother had to be more concerned with his father, as if Tobias was not properly taken care of, then the entire house would tremble with the man's rage. She gave Severus books and food, and that was enough.

Nessie sighed softly and looked up at Severus, wrapping both of his arms around Severus's black-clothed calf and twining his legs around the leg of the chair, nearly purring under Severus's gentle ministrations. He remembered telling Severus about the time before this time, when he lived in that small place—cupboard, if he remembered the word correctly—under the stairs and had to wear glasses and had a scar on his forehead that Dudders—was that his name? He couldn't remember—would laugh and point at. He remembered the belt and the knives and the horrible scars he still held from his Uncle. He would never tell Severus what had been done to him; if Severus ignored him just for teasing—vanishing the sweet potato pie—then he figured that Severus would probably kick him out of the house or run away to Lily and Tuney if Severus knew what had been done to him. Nessie sighed sadly and squeezed his eyes shut, reveling in the soft touches and the petting of his hair. If he had his way, Severus would never leave him. But Nessie knew the hardships of life and was well aware that if he wanted something, he would never get it. He never got anything he wanted. He had wanted to be someone's everything; look at him now, having Severus as _his_ everything.

Nessie was well aware that whatever he was, whatever he was supposed to be doing here with Severus, it had backfired. He remembered faint voices telling him to keep Severus Snape happy, keep him from harm, be the light in the dark black of his existence; however, now his entire world revolved around Severus. All he thought about was Severus; his eyes opened only to look at the other boy, his heart beat in a synonym of Severus's name, his skin only warmed for Severus's touch. Severus was everything.

**

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Ch11 Review Responses:

lulucats144: Thank you!  
WritergirlAD: Holy crow, thanks a _ton_! Different from any fanfic you've read before, you say? Hot damn, what an honor. Isn't Severus just the best? According to canon, anyway, he was an odd child and having an almost-imaginary friend, in my opinion, would just make someone even odder. Yeah, Nessie is Harry, but no one is going to be told until Nessie/Harry understands it himself. Otherwise, what's the fun?  
Talia Gea: Thank you!  
Jisa: Thank you!!  
Sayomi Mayako: Thank you!  
-Replacement 


	13. Chapter Thirteen, Child of Stars

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirteen:  
Child of Stars

_A child of stars that fell._

(O.o)  
Year: **1969  
**Date: **November the Twentieth**

Severus's eyes fluttered open as he yawned softly, turning over in his small bed to sit up. He glanced around the room as he rubbed at his face, wondering where Nessie was. Usually they slept together or Nessie disappeared or Nessie just sat next to Severus while the elder boy fell asleep. Although Severus wouldn't ever admit it, the nights that they fell asleep together were the nights that he got the best sleep, even though he would have thought differently. Severus's entire body stopped as he heard soft giggles coming from either downstairs or outside.

Spinning his new duvet around his shoulders, Severus darted out of his room and went carefully down the stairs, pushing gently against the book to push aside the bookcase. It slid aside and Severus looked carefully around as he stepped over to stand in front of the fire, pushing his weight from foot to foot as he looked cautiously around. There was another soft giggle and Severus's body froze again, unintentionally squeezing the duvet even tighter around his shoulders. Severus slowly moved to the window, gaping at what he saw.

Nessie and his mother were both spinning happily in the snow, independent of one another as they giggled up at the gently falling snow. Severus silently opened the front door and gently leaned against the twice-broken doorjamb, allowing his thin lips to curve slowly up in a tiny smile. Nessie paused and his green eyes landed on Severus's thin form; "Sevvie!" the boy cried, and Severus's gaze darted over to see his mother still spinning happily, as if Nessie had not said anything, and then Severus slowly murmured Nessie's name. The other boy darted over to him, Severus wrapping the small, terrifyingly cold body in the duvet. "Sevvie! I s'w de sn'w an' I s'w y'ur m'dder w'lkin' d'wn de h'll an' I f'llow'd 'er—"

Severus stopped the verbose rant of utterly excited words with a soft press of one long finger to the quickly moving lips. "Quiet, Nessie. Inside." The other boy nearly vibrated with exhilaration as he nodded and darted around Severus and upstairs. Severus smirked knowingly at his mother as she stared at him, eyes wide. "Goodnight, mother."

Severus followed Nessie back up to his—wasn't it theirs, now?—room and silently wrapped the other boy in his arms as they both laid on the bed, dropping the new duvet on top of them and holding on tight to what mattered most.

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Ch12 Review Responses:

Talia Gea: Of course Nessie thinks it's because of the teasing; the story is more exciting that way. Stories without angst and self-recrimination are just boring *wink/nudge*. Here's that next chapter for you, and thanks a _ton_!!  
Jisa: Thank you!  
-Zandris-: Ruddy hell, thank you! I figure that Severus just thought up 'Nessie' on the spot when he found out that his new friend didn't have a name; that's how I came up with it. I did realize that it has relation to the Loch Ness monster; maybe Severus had just read about it and thought that it was a good name. I don't know. I also did just find out that there was a Nessie in _Twilight_ (that's Google for you), which kind of makes me want to stop writing this story out of disgust; however, my abhorrence for _Twilight_ and all related is vastly overpowered by my adoration for Harry and Sev. Rant aside, thank you!!  
Query: how the hell do you guys manage to write the most perfect reviews? *sheepish grin*  
-Replacement for the Stars 


	14. Chapter Fourteen, N’w Y’ars C’leb’at’ons

**Warning:** A bit of what could be considered slash in this chapter. Unintentional slash, be assured. I find it cute.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Fourteen:  
N'w Y'ars C'leb'at'ons

_And hell yes I love my truck  
__But I want you to know  
Honey I love your love the most  
_'Love Your Love The Most', Eric Church

(O.o)  
Year: **1969-1970  
**Date: **December the Thirty-First—January the First**

Severus tightly wrapped both of his hands around one of Nessie's small ones as they both watched the clock directly across from them. Eileen quietly rasped out, unwilling to wake her passed out husband in the kitchen, "Three…two…one! Happy New Years, Severus!"

Nessie giggled loudly and squirmed next to Severus, immediately scooting over and depositing his smaller body in his friend's lap. "H'ppy N'w Y'ars, Sevvie!" he crowed, and, leaning forward, pressed a soft, innocent kiss to Severus's lips. Severus gasped gently but only pressed his lips slightly in return to Nessie's, causing the other boy to tear back and gape at Severus.

Severus smiled slightly and pulled his duvet over them so that his mother could not see. He loved her but Nessie was his. He turned them slightly so that they were sitting directly in front of the fire, and opened the duvet slightly so that the light from the fire could flutter in. "Mind telling me why you kissed me, Nessie?" he queried seriously, without looking at the soft green eyes locked on his face, without feeling the small hands twisted in his grey shirt.

Nessie swallowed nervously and wracked his brain for a response. Finally, he cried out, "N'w Y'ars C'leb'at'ons, Sevvie! Pr'zzie!"

Severus nodded, slowly, and held the boy in his arms all the tighter.

**

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**Badbonita: I think I know what story you're talking about, although it's been a few years since I've read it. I'm planning on keeping the story as close to canon as possible, except for Sev's love for Lily, just for a little tidbit. After all, a little Harry can change a life! I'd like to explain more but that's called spoiling and that can be annoying. Thank you for the review!  
Jisa: Thank you!  
-Zandris-: Hot damn yes you leave the best reviews! Yeah, I never would have made an intentional Twilight reference. That's just wrong. Anyway, Nessie's language was explained—he lost part of his tongue during his stay at the Dursley's—but I can see how it would be hard to understand. I know what he's saying because I'm writing it, and I do try to keep it understandable as possible, but I do know that it can be hard to figure out what he's saying. Do know that it won't last for the whole story, however. Anyway, thanks a ton for your review!  
-Replacement

Ch13 Review Responses:


	15. Chapter Fifteen, Songs

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Fifteen:  
Songs

_The ability to speak does not make you intelligent.  
_Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **January the Ninth**

Severus was awoken by Nessie's soft voice singing him happy birthday. He yawned loudly and sat up, rubbing at his face with the duvet. He heard Nessie giggle softly and then a cool body squish up next to his own, formfitting their bodies in the way that was now so familiar. Severus tucked his arm around Nessie's waist and leaned back against the wall, listening as Nessie restarted his soft song.

"H'ppy b'rfdee, Sevvie, h'ppy b'rfdee t' m' Sevvie, h'ppy b'rfdee t' y'uuuu!" Nessie finished with a grin and tilted his face up to rest it on the side of Severus's thin chest. Severus looked down at the other boy, black eyes greedily roving the familiar features. They had figured out that Nessie was two years younger than Severus a while back; but that was alright. Severus's morals did not include not kissing his Nessie.

"Why," Severus drawled, "Thank you for the…_lovely_ song, Nessie."

Nessie giggled and Severus amusedly watched the grey butterfly flutter excitedly about Nessie's head, the only repetition that he could watch without becoming utterly bored. Gently, Severus reached up and stroked back the mussed black hair, simply following his gut and innermost instincts to pull the other boy closer and gently brush their lips. The green eyes grew ever wider and, slowly, the seven-year-old lifted his chin and tugged on Severus's hair, pressing their lips together, a perfect, precious mess of compatibility.

It was everything, all they had.

* * *

Okay, so apparently this is taking an extremely different tilt than I had planned out for. Sigh. Don't all fanfics do that? Apparently this is going to be a SS/HP slash (which had been intended from the start, yes), starting when they're young, great. Oh well. It'll obviously stay relatively clean until Nessie hits puberty except for a few things I've got planned. If it goes the way I'm figuring—which I'm betting it won't, because that's not how this works—then the slash will not be any more than what is happening now, except a tiny bit more. If anyone is against slash—which is dumb, since this is obviously slash; even said it in the first chapter and the summary—then it probably won't suck all that hard. And if I get any flames, I'll laugh my ass off. Just you wait, my ass will be right there on the ground. After I laughed it off. It'll be grand.

**Ch14 Review Responses:  
**Jisa: Thank you!!  
-Zandris-: On the update note, each chapter is no more than a page or so long, so it really only takes me a few minutes to write each chapter. And your reviews are awesome. Thank you!!  
Dragonfly7: Ah. I have _no_ idea what you're talking about. But perhaps I will, someday. Thank you for the review!  
WritergirlAD: *grin* Thank you!  
-Replacement


	16. Chapter Sixteen, Firereading

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Sixteen:  
Fire-reading

_Well, you know what I say about kids.  
__They're all pink on the inside.  
_South Park, Episode 5.02 'Cripple Fight'

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **January the Eleventh**

Severus pulled the duvet over both him and Nessie as he quietly read _The Faerie Queene_ out loud, the younger boy staring into the fire directly across from them. A broken spring was pushing directly into Severus's lower spine but he ignored it in favor of petting the boy in his arms. He held _The Faerie Queene_ to his lap with his left hand as he carded through Nessie's perfect, soft black hair with his right, soft voice echoing over Nessie's faultless face.

"_At last through wrath and vengeaunce making way,  
__He on the bancke arriu'd with mickle paine,  
__Where the third brother him did sore assay,  
__And droue at him with all his might and maine  
__A forrest bill, which both his hands did straine;  
__But warily he did auoide the blow,  
__And with his speare requited him againe,  
__That both his sides were thrilled with the throw,  
__And a large streame of bloud out of the wound did flow."_

Severus sighed under his breath and closed the book, holding the page with his thumb as he tilted his head down to look at Nessie's sleep-softened face. After a long moment, Nessie's lips fell slightly apart and the wide green eyes slowly opened, blinking sleepily up at Severus. "Sevvie," Nessie murmured, turning his face to nuzzle it against Severus's concave stomach. Severus smiled slightly and reached his right hand around to drop _The Faerie Queene_ on Nessie's chest.

"Read to me, Nessie?"

Nessie's small hands wrapped around the coverless book as he sat up, cradling it to his chest. The younger boy frowned as he turned to look guiltlessly at Severus, brow furrowed innocently. "I c'n't re'd, Sevvie," Nessie admitted, and Severus choked.

* * *

What Severus quoted from _The Faerie Queene_ is Book III, Canto V, Verse 21.  
Oh, and I also lied in my note at the bottom of chapter two. The chapters will—I do believe—become longer as the story and plot progresses. However, there _will_ be a few chapters with only a few hundred words, so no pissing on me for that.

**Ch15 Review Responses:  
**-Zandris-: *nods knowingly* Neither can I.  
-Replacement


	17. Chapter Seventeen, Letters and fluff

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Seventeen:  
Letters  
(and fluff)

'_I don't care,' said Pierre,  
_'_I'm from France.'  
_South Park, Episode 5.06 'Cartmanland'

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **January the Twentieth**

Nessie and Severus sat at the foot of Severus's small bed, Severus's back against the bed and Nessie directly across from him, a few books on the floor between them. Severus pointed with a long, slim finger to the open page in the book Nessie's small hand was resting on. "This is the letter 'b'," he gently informed the seven-year-old, who blinked widely at him as he looked between the book and Severus's angular face.

"B," Nessie repeated, small fingers tracing the letter and touching the bumblebee flying around the lower section of the B. "Be."

Severus turned the page and paused as Nessie crawled over to deposit himself in the basket of Severus's crossed legs, one tiny hand twisting in Severus's worn black-grey shirt. "C," Severus continued, resting the cardboard book on his left knee. Nessie's finger gently stroked over the black cat's face and the yellow eyes.

There was a pause, and then, "Cee."

Severus briefly leaned his cheek to the top of Nessie's head as Nessie turned the page for him, the tips of his fingers dancing over the brown dog standing on top of the capital D. "D, Nessie," Severus whispered.

"Wh't's th't?"

Severus looked down to see Nessie's delicate fingers pointing at the dog. "Dog." He flipped back to the first page, and touched Nessie's hand to the bright red apple. "A is for apple." Next page. "B is for bumblebee." Next page. "C is for cat." Back to the fourth page, "D is for dog."

Nessie nodded. "Dee f'r…" his brow furrowed and Severus moved slightly and inclined his head to see Nessie's full lips work as he tried to pronounce the word, "d-d-dag!"

Severus smirked gently and before he could stop himself, pressed his lips to Nessie's petal-soft cheek. Nessie giggled against him and turned his face so that his own lips brushed against Severus's chin. One delicate hand lifted and traced Severus's high cheekbones, the thinness of his lips, the long hook of his large nose, the heaviness of his brows, the strength of his chin and the length of his neck.

Nessie turned back to the cardboard book and slowly turned the thick pages until he came to H. Wide green eyes blinked up at Severus as the pads of his fingers traced the heart on the page. "H is f'r h'art, Sevvie."

Severus swallowed thickly and wrapped his long arms around Nessie's tiny waist, latching his palms to the protruding hipbones. "Yes, Nessie," he murmured and allowed Nessie to touch their lips together and then didn't let Nessie retreat when the other boy tried to pull back.

He decided, then and there, that he would never let Nessie retreat, because Nessie was _his_.

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Ch16 Review Responses:

Badbonita: (Ch13) He was floating. Severus didn't notice, I figure, because he was probably too tired. I figure that Eileen already thinks that there's more going on than just an imaginary friend but she hasn't said anything because she has no proof. (Ch16) Yeah, neither am I. Anyway, the stories that have Harry being severely sexually, emotionally, physically and psychologically abused as a child before Hogwarts, but he can still read and write, are unrealistic and annoying. Thank you for the reviews, they were awesome!!  
-Replacement 


	18. Chapter Eighteen, Never Let You Fall

**Warning:** This chapter contains non-con.  
Also, this chapter is dedicated to Skyler, who found my number and texted me, thus filling me with giddiness (_thus_ having me post this even sooner). Dude, I know there's no way you'd read this, but you freaking rock. I'd hug you if you were here and not in New York at that insane-smarts school, taking _twenty-one_ credits, which is, frankly, fucking insane. *grin*

_**

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**_

**_Tender Hooks  
_By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Eighteen:  
Never Let You Fall

_'Cause you have turned into my worst enemy  
You carry hate that I don't feel  
It's over now  
What have you done?  
_'What Have You Done', Within Temptation

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **February the Eighteenth**

Severus tapped his fingers against the faux-wood of the kitchen table as he glanced up again at the plastic clock above the sink. Lily was late. They had planned to meet at Severus's house at one, and it was now twelve minutes past. Nessie sat on top of the table, cross-legged, the grey butterfly still fluttering the monotonous circles around his head, the tops of his own fingers gently caressing the back of Severus's long hands. Slowly, Severus turned his hands over and caught Nessie's hands in his, stroking the insides of the delicate wrists with his thumbs.

Severus moved his gaze over to meet Nessie's wide green eyes, the younger boy allowing his wrists to be caught in Severus's grasp. "Should we search for her?" he queried curiously, and Nessie shrugged.

"'f y'u w'nt, Sevvie," Nessie lowly responded, and lay down on the table to rest his temple on Severus's hands and his own captured ones. Severus nodded and looked back up at the clock. Fourteen after. He would go look for Lily if she wasn't here by twenty after one, Severus decided; even though Lily was his friend, Nessie was always more important.

Six minutes later, Severus disengaged himself from Nessie and pressed the other boy up into the air, where Nessie floated, green eyes blinking sleepily. Severus made sure that Nessie wouldn't fall and wrapped long fingers around one tiny wrist, pulling Nessie along behind him at waist level; the butterfly flapped tiredly in one more circle and then dropped to rest in the mussed reaches of Nessie's silk-soft black hair. Severus stepped through the broken sliding door and pulled Nessie out behind him, reaching out with his free hand to caress the familiar features and holding in his soft gasp when Nessie leaned fully into his touch.

"Good boy, Nessie," Severus murmured, and turned away, pulling Nessie behind him as the other boy yawned prettily—Severus figured it didn't even matter if Nessie was also a boy, it wasn't like he really existed; and, anyway, Severus didn't know any girls other than Lily and Tuney, and they were sisters—and pulled himself forward so that his temple was once again resting on the back of Severus's hand.

Severus went to the park, clambering over fences and digging through the small forest grove, never releasing Nessie from his grasp. Severus stopped at the edge of the grove, frowning at what he saw.

His father had Lily pressed to the side of the slide, her skirt pushed up around her waist and tears streaming down her face. His father's face was bright red and his eyes occasionally rolled back in his head as his hips moved forward and back; his hands moved roughly up Lily's bright pink shirt and down the front of her skirt, and she writhed against him, gasping loudly. Tobias groaned and readjusted Lily lower, thrusting his hips up. Severus did not understand what he was seeing, watching his father suddenly moan and twist, Lily's emerald eyes going wide as she contorted. Tobias made a sound that sounded like a choked howl and he slumped forward, pressing Lily fully against the side of the slide, forcing her head to twist back with one heavy hand and Tobias forcefully kissed her, right on the mouth. Severus took a step forward, watching wide-eyed as his father shoved his tongue into Lily's mouth, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks; what would it feel like if he touched Nessie's tongue with his own? Other than being all sticky and slimy, Severus thought it might feel kind of…nice, maybe. He would try it tonight.

Severus tightened his grasp around Nessie's thin wrist, causing the other boy to wake and sit up, moving forward to lean against Severus's side. Tobias released Lily's mouth, her soft pleas reaching Severus and Nessie only ten feet away, "Mr. Snape, _please_ no, not again…_please_, no…it _hurts_…"

Tobias chuckled darkly and twisted his hips, thrusting them again towards Lily. "Oh, little flower, I _know_." Lily started crying once again, adamantly shaking her head, and she began squirming, causing Tobias to gasp and his eyes to widen; his hands faltered on her and then tightened enough that Severus could see her skin whiten under his grasp. Severus frowned; this was not right. Something was wrong; he rubbed at the dread building in his chest.

Nessie yawned again and leaned his head against Severus's thin shoulder, blinking uncomprehendingly at the scene in front of him. Slowly, memories forced their way to the front of his mind—hands tied to a bedpost, fat lips curled back in a leer, more pain than he had ever felt before—and Nessie screamed, throwing his body away from Severus and directly into the nearest tree. Severus whipped around, stepping forward to press the flat of his hand against the bark of the tree, feeling Nessie scream and writhe under his hand. Suddenly, the younger boy darted out of the tree and into Severus's arms.

Severus wrapped his arms around the younger boy, ignoring the pleas for someone other than himself to stop hurting _his_ Nessie, and turned back to step out of the grove, glaring at his father, who was gaping at him, still absently thrusting into Lily's limp body. "Father? What are you doing to Lily?"

Tobias leaned forward and rasped deeply into Lily's ear, "Nothing, right, little flower?"

Lily nodded tiredly, and slowly told Severus to leave, eyes clouded with pain. Severus nodded and retreated back into the grove, running back to Spinner's End to tell his mum that his father was hurting Lily.

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Ch17 Review Responses:

-Zandris-: Yeah, the chapters are going to slowly get longer, as that's what's happening now. This one is just over two pages. Anyway, I wanted to put up a fluff warning for ch17 but my idea of fluff probably isn't what everyone else thinks of as fluff. And thanks, for both the compliment and the review! :)  
Jisa: Thank you!!  
-Replacement 


	19. Chapter Nineteen, Sticks and Stones

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Nineteen:  
Sticks and Stones

_The dog walked just like it was smiling  
The man drove like the world was all right  
The tractor hummed on like a part of a song  
That you sing to your children at night  
_'Man On A Tractor', Rodney Atkins

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **February the Twenty-Sixth**

Severus threw another rock at Petunia as she drew in the sand with a stick. It hit her in the face and left a tiny red mark that she rubbed absentmindedly at. Severus sighed and leaned back against the cold pole holding up the swings, Nessie picking up good-sized rocks and obediently bringing them over to the elder boy. Since they had seen Severus's father raping—that's what Eileen had called it when Severus had brought her back to the park to see Tobias still thrusting in and out of Lily's limp body—Lily, Nessie had not said a word to Severus, and while it hadn't really bothered Severus at first, it was now starting to wear on his nerves. The younger boy's voice was not annoying, by far, nor had it been too high- or low-pitched; Nessie's voice had been utterly perfect, often the soothing balm that Severus's soul had needed after Tobias had screamed at him for being worthless and a freak.

Eileen had looked between Tobias and Lily, run forward and yanked Tobias away from Lily and then proceeded to scream at him. Severus had watched from behind the tree that Nessie had melted into as Tobias hit his mother so hard she fell down; Lily had simply crumpled to the ground, something white and red staining her skirt. Severus and Nessie, while Eileen and Tobias had been distracted with screaming at one another, had snuck over and made sure she wasn't dead. She hadn't been; Severus had somehow gotten her to her house and deposited Lily in her weeping mother's arms.

"Where's Lily?" Severus called over to Petunia, who lifted her head to glare at him.

"Hospital," she bit out, tossing dirty blonde hair back over her shoulder and pursing her lips. The action made Nessie shudder and the butterfly's wings to droop slightly. "Because of your disgusting father, although Lily won't say for certain it was him."

Severus paused for a moment and then threw another rock, watching in amusement as it clipped against Petunia's chin. "Well, you _Muggle_," black eyes glittered in dark amusement as Petunia's body stiffened in offence, "it's not like you would _know_."

Petunia snarled at him and pushed to her feet, brandishing the stick like a weapon. Severus did not move, curiously wondering what she was going to do with it. She stomped over, hair flying behind her—Severus threw another rock—and stopped directly in front of him, raising the stick. Severus saw the brief flash of musculature as she readied herself to smack him across the face, and only moved to clench his knees, knuckles turning bone-white.

In the moments before the stick slapped Severus across the face, there was a flash of movement and Nessie stood in front of his Severus, small hands fisted at his side and his chin raised proudly; Severus gasped as the stick, instead of hitting him, slammed into Nessie's side with a loud _crack!_ and caused Nessie to go flying.

Severus looked back at Petunia from where Nessie had landed and wished for only that Petunia would pay for what she had done to what Severus Snape had claimed as his. Something burnt deep inside of Severus's thin body and as he met Petunia's cold gaze, he cocked his head to the side and brushed his long, greasy hair out of his face, watching as there was a small _boom_ and she was thrown back into the small grove. Severus blinked curiously and looked down at the stick her hand had abandoned, and it correspondingly fell into dust.

He carried Nessie in his arms back to Spinner's End.

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Ch18 Review Reponses:

Jisa: Ha, yeah, rape is never good. I always figured Tobias to be a bit of a creep, and Lily was always renowned for how pretty she was, even as a child…so…there you go. Thank you!!  
-Replacement 


	20. Chapter Twenty, Aw, Fuck

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty:  
Aw, Fuck

_I whisper secrets to the wind  
__Hoping they'll span the miles it takes  
__To reach you  
_A PostSecret Card

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **February the Twenty-Seventh**

Nessie slipped from Severus's warm embrace and silently floated his way to the only mirror in the house: the one in the guest bedroom, where Severus's mum now slept. He paused in the center of the room, idly watching her sleep. Why were people so trusting? They slept with their doors open, backs to said open doors, allowing themselves to slip into a sleep so deep that they could not be waken with a squeak of the floor or a simple word. He supposed that he had slept like that once, nights in which he woke up rested, but he no longer could trust his surroundings that deeply. He trusted Severus that much, and only allowed himself to rest truly when he was in Severus's arms.

Nessie floated into the bathroom, straight through the closed door—he had learned that if Severus was not touching something, it was intangible to him—and stopping before the dirty mirror. Slowly, he lifted his shirt and winced at the wound.

A thick, black bruise crisscrossed over old scars, the edges of the bruise red from burst blood vessels. Small fingers danced over the wound and Nessie proudly restrained his flinch; he had experienced much worse agony than this petty bruise. Nessie sighed under his breath and dropped his shirt, raising his head to look at himself in the mirror.

For a seven-year-old—he would be eight in July—Nessie was quite small and rather thin, but not as skinny as Severus. He figured that it was impossible for anyone else to be as skinny as Severus. His black hair was brightly black and mussed, the direct opposite of his deathly-pale skin and too-wide emerald eyes and thin red lips. A small nose and a delicate chin completed the set; he looked like a fairy. Nessie frowned slightly and touched the faint scars on his face. Was that what he was, a fairy? Maybe that's why he was with Sevvie and nobody else could see him, not that he wanted anyone else to see him. The grey paper butterfly Severus had made him still fluttered about his face, at the level of his eyes and the tips of his ears, never ending in its counter-clockwise circle. The butterfly was as precious as anything, made even more so by the fact that _Severus_ had made it for him, that it held Severus's magic.

Slowly, Nessie leaned slightly forward, closer to the mirror, and pushed his fringe out of the way, revealing a scarred forehead, a forehead scarred yet without the lightning bolt scar that had caused the people he had lived with before Severus to call him a freak, a bastard child made from a drunk union, a boy unlovable. It had been because of that scar and his horrific parents that had forced his Uncle to take him down into their new basement—installed and bought because he was so freakish and horrible that he wasn't allowed to see the sun, because he would taint the outside world—and chain him to the ground and take the knives to him. It had been because of his wounded pleas for his Uncle to stop that he was missing part of his tongue, the hope that if his Uncle sliced through his gums, his mouth would become infected and he would not be able to make any more noise. It had worked until his magic had disinfected and healed his wounds, but not even his magic had been able to completely heal his tongue.

He didn't deserve Severus.

Even though he hated the truth of that knowledge, Nessie knew it to be true. While he knew that Severus wasn't the nicest character or the most normal person, or even someone that the normal parent would want their child around, but he was all Nessie had, and Severus was more than enough. But he still didn't deserve Severus, not after how dirty he was, how tainted he had become. Severus deserved an angel.

Nessie squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, there wasn't anyone standing in front of the mirror.

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Ch19 Review Responses:

Jisa: Thank you!!  
-Zandris-: A lot of thought? It was more like 'Lily? Rape?', but I'll take the compliment if you must hand it to me. *grin* Thank you!!  
-Replacement 


	21. Chapter Twentyone, Invisibility

Just a quick question for readers: If I posted a story with this summary—"…I have a cat named after a sweater." Snarry. Cat!Snape.—would anyone read it? It would start at the summer before Harry's third year and loosely follow canon, until the now-standard deviation after OotP. The slash would start out as technical chan (it's looking to be that Harry would be fifteen) and I would try to keep Harry as in character as possible, except he would not rely on Sirius as much, as I hate the git. Quick, utterly purposeless rant aside, answer the query, please? Even if there was a resounding yes, the story would most likely not be posted for some time, as I need to get ahead in _Tender Hooks_ first. So, here you go!  
Oh, and a mention of slash in this chapter. Heh. Severus is being Severus, after all.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-One:  
Invisibility

_Oh god! I hate cannibals.  
_South Park, Episode 7.11 'Casa Bonita'

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **February the Twenty-Eighth**

Severus woke up alone; in and of itself, it was not that odd of an occasion. He curled the duvet up around his shoulders and stretched inward, yawning against his knees as they bumped against his chin. Sitting up, Severus looked around his tiny bedroom, frowning when he did not see Nessie. Usually the younger boy was floating at the end of his bed or near the door, with his delicate chin resting in the palm of one of his beautifully tiny hands, wide green eyes locked on Severus. Nessie didn't need to eat, drink, sleep or use the restroom; Severus wondered every day ever since Nessie had vanished his sweet potato pie just exactly what his Nessie was. So far, he had ruled out Nessie being a ghost. That was as far as he had gotten, as his couldn't just walk up to his mum and ask her for books on real imaginary friends with Nessie standing right next to him.

Severus dropped to his knees next to his bed and leaned forward, checking under it; Nessie had once floated under there for an entire day, giggling madly, when Nessie had decided they were playing hide-and-go-seek. No Nessie. Severus pushed to his feet and padded over to the doorway, duvet trailing on the ground behind him, and peered down the stairs directly across from his room. No Nessie.

Had he run away? Severus couldn't think of anything that he had done wrong… "Nessie?" he called hesitantly, taking a cautious step forward and curling his toes around the threadbare carpet runner. Nothing. Severus wracked his brain; had he somehow done something to make Nessie mad at him? The only eventful thing that had happened in the past few days was Nessie getting hit with the stick by Tuney two days ago, but since all of the salve that he had tried to put on the horrid bruise—while ignoring the horrific scars covering every plane of _his_ Nessie's pale, gaunt body—had simply refused to leave his hand, he had only been able to try to kiss it better, as his mum had done for him a few times after Tobias had hurt him. Nessie had giggled and squirmed away, but had returned the soft kisses by pressing his perfect red lips to Severus's own.

Severus had even tried the tongue thing and it had worked out better than he could have hoped. Weird sparks had shot down his spine, curling sinuously around the base of it, and his gut had squirmed and trembled violently, although nothing had happened. He now knew how scarred Nessie's mouth was and treasured the way Nessie trembled in his grasp when he caressed the ridges on the roof of Nessie's mouth or how Nessie would gasp when Severus's tongue prodded the thick scar tissue in the space where the section of Nessie's tongue had been.

Severus vowed to himself that Nessie would never kiss another, especially the type with tongues, because those delicate trembles and those soft gasps belonged to _him_.

Severus frowned as something unfamiliar twisted in his gut, and he descended the stairs. Something weightless brushed by him as he reached the bottom of the stairs, the bookcase automatically moving to the side, and Severus jerked away, peering back up the staircase. There was nothing there, except dust motes floating innocuously in the ruddy sunlight. Severus abandoned his duvet on the couch as he wandered into the kitchen, lowly calling Nessie's name as he went.

Nothing. Nessie wasn't _anywhere_. It made Severus want to scream.

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Ch20 Review Responses:

Jisa: Thank you!!  
-Replacement 


	22. Chapter Twentytwo, Trespass

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-Two:  
Trespass

_When everybody sees the Ferrari cake,  
__they will know my greatness.  
_South Park, Episode 10.11 'Hell on Earth 2006'

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **March the Sixteenth**

It had been over two weeks, and Severus had seen neither hide nor hair of his precious Nessie. He had searched every inch—_every_ inch, even daring to trespass into the reaches of his father's bedroom—of Spinner's End for Nessie, but there had been nothing. Lily had returned from the hospital three days after Nessie had gone missing, and while she wouldn't look at Severus, she had been the excuse he needed to go over to the park and search all over it, even the small grove, for Nessie. _Nothing!_

Severus squeezed his eyes shut and rolled himself over in his small bed to shove his face into his pillow, forcefully swallowing down the tears that threatened. It was obvious he had done something to anger Nessie, although he had gone over and over his memories and had seen _nothing_, but it had to have been something he had done! Why else would Nessie just leave like that? Perhaps he had been mad at Severus for not moving out of the way of Petunia's stick, so Nessie would not have had to jump in front of him, but hadn't Nessie been well aware that he'd the choice _not_ to jump in front of the stick? Severus could have taken the pain, anyway. It wasn't like it hadn't been anything he wasn't used to, after all.

Severus curled into a ball, ignoring the duvet as it fell off the bed, only a threadbare sheet covering his thin, shivering body. He had snuck into the guest bedroom bathroom to catch a glance of himself in the mirror and had been struck dumbstruck at his horrid appearance. There were thick black bags under his eyes because he hadn't been able to sleep since Nessie left, and he was even skinnier, his teeth were yellow from not brushing them—he couldn't get up the energy to do even such a simple thing—and his hair hung in greasy, thick clumps. It had been sixteen days, and Severus was wasting away.

He gruffly pled Nessie's name into the pillow shoved to his face, begging for the other boy to come back. Why did it always seem that one never knew how much they relied on someone else until they were gone? It was stupid to rely on someone else, because then that begat dependency… What had he done? Surely Nessie would have told him if he was being a git or if the precious tongue kisses hadn't been alright. _Surely_ Nessie would have told him.

Right?

(O.o)

Nessie sat cross-legged, still invisible, at the side of the bed, head cocked to the side as he watched Severus squirm. Was his presence really so required? Could Severus actually need him? Impossible, surely. It couldn't be a trick, as Severus couldn't know if he was here or not.

Perhaps…perhaps this was what the spirits who had brought him here, to Severus, had meant. They had told him to be Severus's everything, told him to keep the boy happy, and if he did it right, he would never have to leave Severus's embrace. He had left Severus before Severus could leave him; it had seemed the only logical conclusion. He had been able to hide his scars from Severus's black gaze, keep how dirty and tainted he was from Severus's knowledge, but surely if Severus was so distraught without him, he wouldn't purposefully push him away?

Nessie took a deep breath and floated out of Severus's room, down the hall and into the guest bedroom. He went straight through the closed door, the steam from the shower momentarily blinding him in a sea of white, and casually, Nessie peered over the shower stall and caught a glance of Eileen's naked body. Oh, ew. She had…ew. Girl parts, yuck. Nessie recoiled after only a glance, scrubbing at his eyes with his hands to remove the vision. Maybe Severus would take a shower later—the thought caused something to squirm throughout Nessie's body—and Nessie could watch him.

Nessie grinned into the mirror, reaching forward to touch his features as they became visible, and left small prints in the steam.

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Ch21 Review Responses:

Jisa: Thank you!!  
Gondegoogoo: *grins*  
Talia Gea: The story wouldn't be very exciting, now would it, if Nessie just decided to leave forever? Thank you!!  
Sayomi Mayako: Here ya go!  
Badbonita: He hasn't. Thank you!  
To everyone that would read the Cat!Snape story (it's called _He Onward Came_), it will most likely be posted soon. It's quite slow moving and I'm attempting to keep it as canon as possible.  
Also, my apologies for not updating yesterday. I was sleeping and studying for finals.  
Happy readings,  
Replacement for the Stars 


	23. Chapter Twentythree, Kisses

**Warning:** Memories of _severe_ abuse (sexual, physical, emotional and psychological) in this chapter.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-Three:  
Kisses

_Happiness is like a kiss…  
__you must share to enjoy it.  
_-Unknown

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **March the Sixteenth  
**(later)

Severus awoke on the floor, under the duvet. For a long moment, all he wondered was how he had gotten on the floor, as he hadn't fallen off the bed in quite a few years, and then he yawned and tried to stretch. However, there was a familiar weight on his stomach and chest, and Severus looked down to see Nessie's beautiful face.

In all of a moment, Severus had flipped them over and had his mouth latched onto Nessie's, the younger boy's wrists slammed to the floor above his head, shackled in one of Severus's long hands. He did not allow Nessie to retreat as he frankly ravaged the smaller mouth, sneering when Nessie whimpered as he ran his tongue along the scarred gums, running his hand under Nessie's plain shirt and stroking Nessie's scarred side. Severus pulled away slightly, licking at the saliva connecting their lips, and leaned his forehead to Nessie's, the younger boy gasping as he regained his breath.

"Good boy, Nessie," Severus murmured, and Nessie's thin red lips curled up in his perfect, precious smile. He sat up, yanking Nessie into his lap, and pulled the duvet over both of them so that if Eileen or Tobias came in, they would not be able to see what Severus had claimed as his own. "Where did you go?" he rasped, pressing his nose into Nessie's perfectly scented hair—sweet as the spring—and not daring to do more than blink, for the horror that Nessie would leave him again, even in only the half-light they had.

Nessie shifted uncomfortably and squeezed Severus's thin shirt in his small fingers. "I n'v'r l'ft y'u," he murmured, and Severus tightened his grasp around the tiny waist.

"Yes you did!" Severus accused, pulling Nessie away from his chest with a hard hand on the back of the other boy's neck, glaring as furiously as he could. Nessie shook his head and gently touched Severus's face, the elder boy mirroring his actions.

Nessie pressed a kiss to Severus's palm and then softly responded, "I w's alw'ys h're. Y'u j'st c'uldn't s'e m'."

Severus's gaze narrowed as he searched the soft green gaze, his grasp tightening on Nessie's delicate chin. "If you ever leave me again," Severus growled out, "I will not be held responsible for my actions."

Nessie smiled brightly and lifted his chin for a kiss, which Severus immediately dispensed. It was odd, Severus reflected, that they could slip so easily into a different slide of a relationship after four years of being the closest friends. Then again, it was _Nessie_, and anything different—such as someone else—would have been too different to comprehend. "D'n't ev'r l'ave me, Sevvie," Nessie begged into Severus's mouth, and Severus pulled back slightly, pushing his mind into Nessie's wide open one.

He didn't know how exactly he saw Nessie's thoughts, but Severus did not think too much on it. Instead, he grasped onto Nessie's most recent thoughts and searched ruthlessly through them.

_Nessie staring into the mirror, scars visible on every plane of skin. He told himself that it would be better to leave Severus before Severus could leave him; after all, if Severus knew what had happened to him, what filth he was, he knew Severus would never look at him again, never touch him again, and would stand up and simply walk away._

_For a moment, Nessie allowed the memories to overwhelm him:_

_The huge, mustached man stepped off the last step of the stairs leading into the basement and crossed his arms over his massive chest. The boy strapped to the bed tried to curl over on his side but couldn't quite manage it. Then, the man walked over to the bed and tore off his trousers, fisting his penis as he pulled a long, glinting knife from under the bed, and roughly informed the wide-eyed boy to spread. Then, the man dropped on top of the boy—he had to be all of two or three—and there was only agony._

_The boy slammed the back of his head back against the wall behind him, again and again, until his vision blurred and he could do nothing other than scream. A tall, horse-faced woman with something around twice around the usual amount of neck appeared and stalked over, digging a long-fingered hand into the boy's mouth. The boy went completely still, begging the woman with wide, jewel green eyes, but she ignored his silent pleas and hacked off a portion of his tongue, nearly choking him with his own blood. As she threw the knife down at the bottom of the stairs, the tall woman turned back and spat, "That better keep you quiet, freak."_

_The belt did not stop raining down on his back, his thighs, the delicate globes of his ass for what seemed like ever. The wounds were bleeding severely and the boy thrashed as best he could with the ties keeping his arms and legs bound to the bed. After the huge man became tired, he threw the belt aside and pulled a pocket knife out from his pants. He leaned forward and ran his fat fingers up and down the length of one trembling arm, and then dug the blade of the knife a good quarter-inch in, and pulled it down the arm, blood welling up and cascading down to pool below him. The boy would have screamed, but his mouth had been sewn shut._

Severus yanked his mind out of Nessie's and stared into the wide, teary green eyes, and gently ran the tips of his fingers over the scars littering Nessie's bone-pale skin.

"Never again," he murmured, and clutched his boy to his chest, "Never again will you be hurt, never again will I allow you to be in pain." Threading his fingers through the bright black hair, Severus pulled Nessie's beautiful, perfect face from his shoulder and searched the green eyes. "You are mine," he softly informed the other boy, pale thin lips curving up in a shark-like smile when Nessie squirmed in his grasp and nodded enthusiastically.

Nessie pressed his mouth to Severus's in a quick, chaste kiss that sealed the promise and a thousand more to come. "Y'urs," he agreed completely, surrendering himself, and tucked his face beneath Severus's chin.

In the darkness and half-light under the duvet, two young boys sat, pressed together, each holding the one thing that mattered most.

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Ch22 Review Responses:

Jisa: Thank you!!!!  
-Zandris-: Thanks, and I'll have you know I have taken your given good luck and held it with me as I took that horrific sociology final today. *grins*  
MaliciousDoughnut: Hot damn, you're good! I didn't even think anyone would catch that…well, then, I suppose you deserve a treat *gives you a treat*. No, I would not say _evolving_, per se...actually, I would say that it has to do with Severus and Nessie's feelings towards him. That's all I can say! Thanks a _ton_ of monkeys (not the poo-slinging kind, of course) for your review and I hope you do so again soon! *maniacal grin*  
Sayomi Mayako: *raises an eyebrow* Oh, I'm quite sure he's pleased. And quite pissed off. Hell, if I had a Nessie and he just up and vanished like that, I'm convinced that my reaction would be one of abject fury, as well. …well, you know. Thank you for the review!  
Davinci: I…I don't even know what to say. How the _hell_ do you write the most fucking _perfect_ reviews?! I read it and practically screamed 'yes!' but silent hours are in effect and I was in the lobby and I do bet that misconduct referrals aren't a good way to spend an afternoon so I just danced silently around, totally scaring the shit out of this one kid on my floor as he waited for the elevator. Most likely because I can't dance worth shit. However! You got it in one! I am tucking _that_ review away for further examination, because I can't bloody thank you enough! Thank you!!  
PrincessOfTheNightHoneySexy: *chokes on the compliment* My God (yes, he is mine)! Thank you!  
Gondegoogoo: *grins* Plannin' on it! Thank you!!  
-Replacement 


	24. Chapter Twentyfour, Revenge Socks

*contemplates* Did I really not update for three days? Holy fuck, I didn't! My sincerest apologies. I hope this chapter, and the following two, make up for it. They should.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-Four:  
Revenge Socks

_We could turn the homeless into tires.  
_South Park, Episode 11.07 'Night of the Living Homeless'

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **April the Twelfth**

Eileen pushed a mug of deep brown hot cocoa across the tiny kitchen table and straight into one of Severus's long hands. She purposefully ignored the other, as it was obviously resting just a bit above the table, and cupped her own mug, staring down at the foam frothed up from the hot milk. The two of them stayed quiet for a few long moments, Severus sipping at his cocoa and nodding every once in a while to a voice she could not hear.

Eileen lifted her head and met her son's unnerving black gaze. Her precious Severus… "I attended Hogwarts from 1942 to 1949—1950, really. The Prince family has always been a great believer in blood purity, which I do admit to find agreeable; however, in a rare act of rebellion against my father, I married your father three years after graduating from Hogwarts." Eileen did not say: _I lived with your grandfather for twenty-one years and could not bear another minute in his presence. I escaped with the money in my pockets and moved to Spinner's End, the furthest place from my father that I could find. Child, you do not understand the horror that was your grandfather…cruel—terrifically so—and a devil with a wand…His cruelty was not the usual, my beloved Severus; he was absent for weeks at a time and then smothering for days—he was a bastard with a wand, able to cast the worst curses in the blink of an eye. You inherited his affinity for the Dark Arts, my precious child, and I will never forgive myself for having a magical child._ "I was in Slytherin, the House that every Prince has been in." Eileen leaned forward, took a mouthful of cocoa and let it trickle down her throat as Severus pushed slightly back from the table and cupped his arms around an invisible form, obviously resting his cheek on a small child's forehead. "Although you are a Snape, Severus, you _do_ have Prince blood, and even though my father does not—did not—acknowledge you as a heir, _I_ expect that you will be Sorted into Slytherin. It is tradition, after all."

Severus watched her cautiously, holding onto Nessie tightly enough that it hurt. His mum had already told him about the four Houses, that Gryffindors were brawny and insipid, that Ravenclaws were bookish and clever, Slytherins were the best of them all, with cunning and determination, and Hufflepuffs were the rest of them, with fairness, patience and friendship. Gryffindors were shameful, acting before they thought, self-righteous and arrogant the lot of them, with no regard for rules. Severus would throw himself in front of a train before he allowed himself to be Sorted into Gryffindor. His mum stood up and wandered off, going into the cell-like sitting room and staring into the depths of the fire, long hands cupped desperately around her cracked mug of hot cocoa.

Severus met Nessie's liquid green eyes as he took a sip of his own hot cocoa and gently pressed his lips to Nessie's, spilling the chocolate-y liquid into the other boy's mouth and caressing the thin red lips with his teeth. Nessie trembled gently against him as he sipped the cocoa from Severus's lips, his small hands clenching delicately in Severus's too-large sweater; Severus tightened his arms around Nessie's tiny waist and held on desperately.

He'd never let go.

**

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Ch23 Review Responses:

Jisa: *grins* Thank you!!  
Charley Reede: *sheepish* Err, I don't really know how I do it…I just think of something and write and usually end it with a really fluffy statement about precious people…Aha! You have forced me to give away my secret in only one review! Do not tell the others!  
Anyway, thank you for the review and I hope the following chapters (and even this one!) live up to the prior ones!  
(There is no need to actually read this, if anyone finds they wish to) Captain Shoulah: Okay, fine. I'm good with flames, yeah, or whatever pathetic attempt at a flame your review was; _however_, yours, frankly, pissed me the fuck off. Besides the fact that you're not a registered user—hey, cool, whatever, fine with me—and _then_ you go around and somehow think it's okay to inform me that 'tender hooks' don't exist? Oh, well then. Why, thank you, dick-muncher (yes, I am aware that 'muncher' is not a word). Did you decide to review my story only to tell me that there is no such thing as 'tender hooks'? If you did, you pathetic earthworm of a child, go get a fucking life. I don't give a fuck if there are hooks out in the world—j-shaped noodles or _not_—that are tender; however, I do give a fuck—and quite a few of them, in fact—that I had to waste my otherwise precious time in reading your shit review in which you could not even spell 'tender' correctly. It is not 'tenter', you dismal attempt at an imbecile, it is _'tender'_. And to write such a thing three times? You insult me. Also, the term 'tender hooks' does quite exist, as I am clearly using it—refer back eleven or so words to the quotes and I believe you will see it—as are you. You may say that hooks cannot be tender—which, as impossible things are clearly possible; i.e., _Twilight_ becoming a disgusting phenomenon (which, I do presume, you are fond of; _Twilight_, not phenomenon's, but go right ahead and be fond of both, if you find you utterly must) all throughout the literate world—but I would argue and say you are quite wrong. Good day, Captain Fuck-Head, and I hope you drown in a pit of your own vomit. Cheerio!  
P.S.: You clicked on the story, asshole. Did you think I required your opinion in any possible manner? Instead of sharpening my tongue on the hot guy in the lobby, I instead sharpened it on your measly soul, so I must give my thanks. And I 'treasured' your congratulations. Really, you have _no_ idea of how much it meant to me. Honest.  
crazikido2: Not for quite a while, I'm (not) afraid. This is a story about the way one person can change someone's life—Severus's—and other people do not play a large part in it. However, I will give you a clue: during Severus's Hogwarts years, and only briefly. Nessie is Severus's, and Severus likes to keep him that way. Thank you for the review and you are most _definitely_ welcome for the story!  
PrincessOfTheNightHoneySexy (Nebulasaunha): Ha, no, I have no beta. I had one for a story I pseudo-abandoned on and she set the chapter back to me with absolutely no corrections, which I thought to be pretty damn sweet. I was right proud of that. This story will go until Severus dies, and that will be quite a few chapters from now. _Quite_ a few. Anyway, Harry isn't going to Hogwarts. I don't know if you've noticed…but, yeah. Not telling you if you haven't gotten it, I figure. Anyway, thanks a _ton_ for the review!  
Gondegoogoo: *grin* Thank you!!  
IchigoPudding: Holy fucking _fuck_! _Twenty-three_ reviews! Hot damn! You rock! Tasmania? Hot damn, twice. I'd respond to all of them but I'm way too lazy. Thank you a _ton_!  
-Replacement 


	25. Chapter Twentyfive, Books and Laws

Okay, so, a note: this chapter, and twenty-six, will be the last for at least a day or so. I'm back at home from college, and it sucks, to be quite frank. So, yeah.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-Five:  
Books and Laws

_The antidote for a blended poison will be  
__equal to more than the sum of the antidotes  
__for each of the separate components.  
_Golpalott's Third Law

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **April the Twenty-Ninth**

Severus tenderly traced the caldron on the front of his mum's _Advanced Potion Making_ book and crawled his fingers up to gently touch the letters forming the words. It was the only book she had been able to bring with her when she escaped her father, and she had finally given it to Severus three days prior. He had barely been able to touch it ever since his mum had trusted it to him. After all, what if he broke it or bent the cover or tore some of the pages? He'd never forgive himself. Cautiously, he turned to somewhere near the front of the book and stared at the page: _Draught of Living Death: an extremely powerful sleeping potion that induces a trance and mimics the state of death._

Long, thin fingers danced over the list of ingredients and Severus cautiously whispered out a few: valerian roots, wormwood, crushed snake fangs—Severus wondered what kind of snake, exactly—sloth brain, a single Sopophorous bean, to be sliced for the juice. Severus frowned at the last ingredient and carefully set down his mum's potion book; he darted over to his small trunk and opened it, riffling through his own meager stash of potions books for the most important one: a self-updating list of all the known plants that had properties for potions. Quickly, Severus flipped to the section on the Sopophorous beans and frowned down at it. He dropped down onto his bed and looked between the two books.

Both of them said that to produce the most amount of juice, the bean had to be sliced, but that didn't make any sense, because Severus had read somewhere that Sopophorous beans reacted well to silver…when he got to school, Severus would have to test it.

Severus heard a small yawn and looked up to see Nessie floating above him, staring down at the large words. Nessie made sure Severus was touching the book—he was—and turned the pages; he pointed to a word, "wh't's th't on', Sevvie?"

Severus smiled as he responded, "Burning Bush, Nessie. It's also known as Dittany; if taken directly afterword healing a wound, it can prevent scarring." Nessie grinned widely and ducked around, lying directly on Severus's back and resting his tiny chin on Severus's shoulder, his thin arms wrapping around Severus's neck. A fine-boned hand slowly turned the pages of the book of ingredients and Severus leaned his cheek against Nessie's, briefly closing his eyes as he held in the scent of his beloved.

**

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**

Ch24 Review Responses:

IchigoPudding: *grins* I figured that the cocoa thing was something that Severus would totally do, especially this one. Since Nessie doesn't eat, as he is technically dead, I think that if Severus poured something directly into his mouth, he'd be able to swallow it. _Twilight_ sucks and you rock even more for not liking it! Yeah, the last two books…they pissed me off. I was all 'where's the Snarry?' but it never came… Anyway, thanks a ton!  
Gondegoogoo: Checking your phone every hour (or two)? Hot damn. *grin* Anyway, to answer your question…let's say that witches and wizards are born with affinities, and the affinity is genetic. So, affinities can be inherited, like teeth. Thank you for the review!  
Badbonita: Huh, I see your point. Then again, canon says that Severus was a loner, and kind of a loser. He _did_ hang out with a group of Slytherins that later became Death Eaters, but I don't believe that Severus would have regarded them as friends; canon Severus had only one friend: Lily. Severus was bullied to an enormously painful extreme by the Marauders and the only note of his treatment by the Slytherins is that Lucius Malfoy greeted him with a pat on his back when he was Sorted into Slytherin; I think that the Slytherins didn't really pay all that much attention to a poor half-blood, except for the usual mocking insults about his heritage and etc. *grins* Thank you for the review!  
-Replacement 


	26. Chapter Twentysix, Angel

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-Six:  
Angel

_Sparkling angel I believe  
You were my savior in my time of need.  
_'Angel', Within Temptation

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **May the Thirtieth**

Severus spun his Muggle pen in his fingers as he cast his glance over the highly slanted roof of Spinner's End, holding in his small smile when Nessie darted up the side of it and threw himself into Severus's open arms, resting his delicate chin on Severus's thin chest and grinning up at the elder boy. Severus tugged a piece of paper out of his pocket and wrote down a small word. He held it in front of Nessie's gaze and seriously queried, "What does this say, Nessie?"

He peered around the edge of the paper and nearly blushed at the supremely serious look on his boy's delicate face—furrowed brow, pursed lips, the dulled sparkle of joy. A long arm snaked around Nessie's tiny waist and yanked the other boy fully up against his front, and waited impatiently for Nessie to finish reading the word.

Finally, "F'sh?"

Severus pressed his lips together in an attempt not to smile as he dropped the piece of paper and shoved the pen in one of his pockets; he threaded long fingers through Nessie's brightly black mussed hair and searched the brilliant green eyes. Emotion burned in his gut and his chest and the tips of his fingers and toes and he nigh choked on it; the words burst out of his lips before he could stop them, "I love you, Nessie."

Nessie jumped up and pressed his thin lips to Severus's own, smiling brightly against them. "I l've y'u, t'o, Sevvie," he breathed, and down below, hiding behind a tree, the Evans sisters watched curiously as Severus Snape danced along the ridge of his home, holding an invisible precious person in his arms, as close as his heart.

Lily threw Petunia a look and made sure to keep out of sight of the house; they had come over only to see what Severus was doing, as neither of them had really seen Severus since Tobias had hurt Lily. The boy kept mostly to himself and he liked it that way. "You really think he's insane?" Lily whispered, and watched as Petunia threw her hair back over her shoulder as Severus twirled, his arms around someone they would never see.

Petunia nodded immediately. "I read this book that mum had," she rasped loudly, "on psychological disorders. I think he might be having hallucinations or delusions or something." She threw Lily a knowing look; Lily looked back up at her friend and wondered what it would be like to be the one dancing in Severus's arms.

* * *

Don't worry! Lily won't take Severus from Nessie, or vice versa; I thought a reversal of canon would be kind of entertaining. Thank you!  
-Replacement


	27. Chapter Twentyseven, Beliefs

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-Seven:  
Beliefs

_A belief is not merely an idea  
__the mind possesses. It is an idea  
__that possesses the mind.  
_Robert Oxton Bolton

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **June the Twelfth**

Eileen Prince-Snape sat in a mirror of the position of exactly a year prior: sitting at the small kitchen table, staring at her hands, waiting for Tobias to return from the mill. However, Severus was not reading to an impossible child in the sitting room and he was not going to bring her a blighted rose; not _this_ year. She had sent him away, to go anywhere except here, and found herself unable to stomach the loneliness. However, there would be no roses, never any roses. Not for her.

But that was quite alright.

(O.o)

Severus squeezed his eyes shut and told his magic to slowly lift his body. He felt a soft, dangerous swoop in the pit of his stomach and when he opened his eyes again, he was level with the bar holding up the two swings, where Nessie stood at the opposite end, hovering a hairsbreadth above the harsh metal, small hands outstretched towards Severus and his thin red lips curled up into the most beautiful smile Severus had ever seen.

Holding in his breath, Severus took a tiny step forward and his worn black shoe made contact with the round core of metal. Nessie's smile simply grew and he floated forward until he was halfway between the two swings, exactly in the middle, delicate hands still outstretched. Severus put his weight on his right foot, the foot on top of the swing bar, and slowly moved until both feet were placed firmly on the bar. Nessie giggled and darted over to Severus, wrapping his thin arms around Severus's hips and holding on with all his might, ducking his head under Severus's hard chin.

Severus held on, as well, and smiling to himself, stepped across the length of the bar, dancing on the edge of dangerous with his most precious boy in his arms.

(O.o)

Lily sat in the lowest branches of a tree, absentmindedly swinging her feet as she and Tuney, who stood at her feet, watched as Severus spun and twirled along the length of the bar holding up the swings, the chains trembling slightly as his weight shifted and changed. Lily jumped off the branch and smoothed down the front of her boy trousers; she would not wear skirts or dresses after what Tobias had done to her.

For a moment, in all of the second that Petunia said nothing, Lily closed her eyes and tucked her own arms around her hips, imagining that Severus's long, thin arms wrapped around her waist and held her tight against his too-thin body; "Lily," Petunia hissed, "it's just like I told you! See, he looks like he's _kissing_ someone!"

Lily gasped loudly, bright emerald eyes flaring open, and she dashed over, rattling one of the swings. Severus whipped around and Lily watched his eyes dart around the playground and his arms dangerously squeezing around someone small before his black gaze settled on her. Thin, pale lips twisted slightly, although Lily could not discern if it was a frown or a smile, and he took a step forward, into thin air, arms hanging by his sides. Petunia gasped and inadvertently reached out a hand, as if to catch Severus in the air, but Lily could not stop the smile that ripped across her face when Severus simply walked down steps of air, coming to rest in front of the Evans sisters.

"Ladies," Severus greeted, and gave them a flourishing bow and a mocking sneer, "How do you _do_?"

Petunia's lips pursed as Lily giggled and stepped closer, snatching a hand forward to grab one of Severus's. Severus looked down at their attached hands almost in absent curiosity and slowly detached his hand from hers, stepped cautiously away and quietly murmuring under his breath as he left.

(O.o)

Nessie watched Severus's bare hands move slightly as the taller boy walked back to Spinner's End, and he rolled over onto his back, watching the pale clouds in a grey sky. Why had Lily grabbed Sevvie's hand? Was he supposed to hold Severus's hand? He wasn't a girl; did only girls and boys hold hands? "Am I a g'rl, Sevvie?" he queried curiously, tilting so that he was upright, head level with Severus's.

Severus frowned at him and his long hand snatched out to wrap around one of Nessie's own tiny ones. Although Nessie tried to stop it, a strange feeling burbled up in his gut and it made him feel slightly dizzy, as if he felt nearly sick, and a burning giddiness wrapped up in his body, emotions and hope all tied up in one. "No," Severus responded, and pulled Nessie over a fence, "you're better."

**

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Ch25-26 Review Responses:

(Ch24) –Zandris-: *grins* There really wasn't a reason for the title. I just found it kind of entertaining. And holy cow crap, dude, you really did have a lot of sugar; I bet the crash whoa sucked. Thanks for the review!  
IchigoPudding: (Ch25) *high-fives back* Thank you! (Ch26) *squees* Hot damn yes, it's cute! And no, I can't read. That's how I respond to reviews and write, because I can't read. Deny _that_ logic! Fish! *dances* Nessie seems real!? That is _awesome_. Does Sev seem real as well? Thanks a _ton_ of _fish_!  
Jisa: You hot damn bet she'll wonder in vain! No dancing with Sevvie for Lily! Thank you!!  
Toddsaninja: I have given you hope for Snarry!? *screams* That is _so_ awesome! Snarry is the best; I just had to say that. Anyway, thank you for the review and I hope you keep on hoping for Snarry!  
: When are they going to Hogwarts? Huh. Chapter thirty or so? Sev still has to get his Hogwarts letter and go to Diagon Alley and do some other stuff…I'd say early thirties. And _hell yeah_, _Twilight_ is the worst. Yes! Snape is _always_ nice and cuddly in most Snarry fics and it always makes me want to scream! If Snape is anything, he's terrifyingly possessive and cruel; I know this is _fanfiction_, but come on! He's not _nice_! Anyway; thank you for the review! It rocked.  
Gondegoogoo: (Ch25) You're hot damn potatoes welcome! (Ch26) Thank you! And yes, Severus will most definitely be an adult in this fantastic tale of adventure. This story will end when Severus dies; a bit of a spoiler: Nessie's 'life force', for lack of a better word, is directly tied to Severus's. So…that means that if Severus dies…then Nessie dies. Sob. Anyway, thank you for the reviews!  
-Replacement 


	28. Chapter Twentyeight, Epic

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-Eight:  
Epic

_The dry winged fruit of an  
__ash, elm, or sycamore is a __**key**_

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **June the Twentieth**

Eileen stepped around a stack of unsorted books as she quietly repeated the words her precious Severus had been dangling over the couch, a vibrant and tremulous outburst of words that had left her breathless.

_Which to auenge, Sir _Dueon_ him did dight,  
__But with no better fortune than the rest:  
__For him likewise he quickly downe did smight,  
__And after him Sir _Douglas_ him addrest,  
__And after him Sir _Palimord_ forth prest,  
__But none of them against his strokes could stand,  
__But all the more, the more his praise increst.  
__For either they were left vppon the land,  
__Or went away sore wounded of his hapless hand._

Eileen held her breath as her lips formed the words, unfamiliar and cruel, almost, as they seemed, and stepped up to a rather large man who worked at the Muggle bookstore, his beady blue eyes mapping out her face; she hoped that the meager amount of magic she had been able to place into the glamour over her face was enough to hide the evidence of Tobias's temper. By the lack of reaction, the glamour had been sufficient; Eileen raced through the words in her mind to latch onto two of them: _epic poem_.

"What types of epic poems do you have?"

The man looked curiously at her, the usual glance to her heavy brow and sunken eyes giving him pause before he waved a fat hand to her hand waddled off. "The usual, lady," he replied, voice slow, "Dante, John Milton, Virgil…who are you lookin' for?"

"My son," Eileen replied, stopping next to the man and casually perusing the titles with narrowed dark eyes. "He is fond of poems."

The man's eyebrows went up and she could see the word race across his mind as clearly as if he had spoken it out loud: _fag_. Why would it matter to others if her son had inclinations that were not the norm? She herself had briefly dated another female during her Hogwarts years; a woman by the name of Patricia Chase, a relatively middle-class pureblood, who, if Eileen recalled correctly, was now married to the famous Auror Henry Potter—who Eileen remembered as a right git and bully during her years at Hogwarts; he had never been nice to her, always mocking her and cursing her for merely existing—and they had a son, now…John, was it? Jacob? Oh, James, that was it. James Potter, born in the same year as her Severus…would Severus be forced to deal with the horrors that Eileen had experienced? Would he be bullied, like she had? Would he be an outcast, not only for his blood, but for his little quirks and oddities that only she could understand?

Eileen had a horrible feeling that yes, her precious Severus would be treated just as she had, perhaps even worse.

She grabbed the first thick book she could find, darted over the register, paid, and ran home. Her poor, precious child…what had she done? Why had she brought such a child into the world, where he would be broken and bruised and bullied? _What had she done_?

Severus was sitting complacently just outside the house, long fingers darting over the pages of an unfamiliar book, and he looked curiously up when Eileen came running up the cracked front walk, a book in one hand and a fist of money in the other. "Severus," she gasped, and stood weakly in front of her son, feeling the glamour slide off her face. Severus barely even glanced at the bruise; after all, he had seen so much worse. "I have a gift for you." She held out the book as Severus brightened slightly; his hollow black eyes filtered a shade lighter as he reverently took the book from her, setting his coverless and worn _The Faerie Queene_ off to the side, where it floated in the air for all of the second and then fell to the ground with a tiny _whup_.

"Dante's _Divine Comedy_," her precious Severus whispered reverently, and lifted his chin to gaze seriously at Eileen. "Thank you, mother."

Eileen nodded and vanished inside the house, leaving her son to his time.

* * *

The quote is from _The Faerie Queene_, Book IIII, Canto IV, Verse 21.  
*Cackles* You have _no_ idea how long I've been holding this chapter in! Twisty, eh?

**Ch27 Review Responses:  
**THE mlb: (I must say, I was unaware of other 'mlb's in the area; however, it is an utter relief to find out that you are the true 'mlb'; what the hell is an mlb, anyway?) 'Depressingly morbid' and 'disgustingly cute', you say? _I_ say that you win the review award for the chapter. And, yes, I am hoping to have a new chapter of _Morsus_ out by the New Year. Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy your award!  
Gondegoogoo: Well, yeah, I guess it is sorta sad that Sev dies…but doesn't everyone die, sometime? Don't worry, Sev isn't going to die for a _very_ long time, I promise. *grins* Anyway, yeah, Lily's trying to send Sev a message but it won't work. Yep; thanks for the review!!  
Jisa: Hella yeah it was long! Thank you!  
Paon: Thanks for the honesty; it's nice to hear that. Read it, whatever. Anyway, I'll tell you that I truly wasn't planning on having them start so young. However, Sev just…_decided_ and I had to follow along. You're hot damn welcome for posting it and thanks a ton for the review!  
-Zandris-: Sugar crashes are _always _worth it. Yeah, Nessie will become visible to other people. However, Nessie and Harry Potter are…I don't know exactly how to explain this other than that Nessie and Harry are two different people. Harry Potter died at age four and from his ashes (phoenix reference WIN!), rose up Nessie. So, I guess to answer your question, no, _Harry Potter_ will not come back to life. Does that make any sense? Hope so; have a very happy Christmas and you better wrap those damn presents! Thanks for the review!  
angieqt12005: *grins* Well, I just hope it keeps on getting more and more interesting! Here's that update and thanks for the review!  
-Replacement


	29. Chapter Twentynine, Birthday

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Twenty-Nine:  
Birthday

_I don't think Snape went,  
_'_Okay, time to put my arse-hole hat on.'  
_-Snapecast, Episode One

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **July the Thirty-First**

Severus sat at the edge of the park, Dante's _Divine Comedy_ held in the crux of his crossed legs, Nessie floating directly in front of him, wide green eyes staring up at the bright blue sky. On the small patch of green next to the playground, an unfamiliar man played catch with an unfamiliar blue-eyed boy. Occasionally, the blue-eyed boy would glance curiously over at Severus—who only knew about it because Nessie felt the need to inform him that he was being watched; Severus had never realized that Nessie was so paranoid—and then look away.

"It's m' b'rfd'y," Nessie suddenly informed Severus, who looked up from the page of his book with a half-curious look on his face.

"Do you desire a gift?" he queried, and allowed his lips to curl in a smirk as Nessie unsuspectingly blushed and floated slightly away, wringing his hands as the butterfly suddenly began to fly faster, the grey wings almost contorting into a blur.

Nessie looked down at his lap and the black slacks he wore, to the black turtleneck that covered from his chin to his knuckles, not baring a strip of pale, scarred skin—he had grown more self-conscious, for a reason that Severus could not understand, ever since Lily had briefly held Severus's hand all that time ago; Severus was half a second away from tearing Nessie's clothes off him and forcing him to dart around naked, as the boy was his and only his, the pale, perfect skin only for his viewing pleasure—and the plain black shoes that were a mirror image of Severus's own. Slowly, Nessie touched his palms to his knees and held them there, cautiously peering up at Severus with his eyes as green and as wide as an unknown field. Before Nessie could respond, the blue-eyed boy jogged over and tossed the small white ball between his tanned hands, sliding to a stop just in front of Severus and the tiny pebbles that made up the playground floor spitting up and hissing through Nessie, who cowered immediately away, hovering on the other side of Severus from the boy.

"Help you?" Severus asked quickly; his mum had taught him manners and while he wasn't fond of them, he knew when to utilize them to make someone go away while still being somewhat in the realm of polite. Or not.

The blue-eyed boy smiled widely and held out the white ball, as if it meant something, and when no recognition passed across Severus's thin face—really, what would a ball mean to him?—the boy shifted uncomfortably and softly asked, his voice bright and curious, "Would you like to play catch with me 'n' my da?"

Severus slowly closed the _Divine Comedy_—he was quite fond of the first book, _Inferno_, as the tortures described were quite interesting—and cautiously pushed to his feet, too-short slacks swinging around his ankles. "Why would I desire to engage in such a task as throwing a _ball_"—the word was shot at the blue-eyed boy with as much venom as Severus could muster—"for no apparent reason? I was having a pleasant time reading when you happened by and ruined an otherwise lovely day." Severus turned his head to the side and met Nessie's worried green eyes. Softening, Severus murmured, "Nessie, come," and strode off, his boy following right behind.

The blue-eyed boy frowned down at the baseball in his hand and turned back to his father, who shrugged and raised his arm to catch the ball. The boy threw it and it went over his father's head and into the woods behind the man; the boy and his father would search and search, but the ball would never be found.

(O.o)

Severus squeezed his eyes shut and focused all of his energy on the ball he had seen disappearing in the woods behind the tall man's head. He reached out a hand and grabbed tightly onto Nessie, intentionally leeching magic from the boy who would give everything to him. There was a soft rustle and then the ball popped into existence at his knees, a foot away, and dropped to the ground, rolling to a soft stop at his shoes.

Severus opened his eyes as something hit the tip of one of his worn shoes and looked down to see the small white ball resting at his feet. He smirked in excitement up at Nessie, who grinned wildly and smacked a perfect kiss to Severus's cheek. Severus allowed one corner of his thin lipped-mouth to curl up in a tiny smile, and he knelt down and picked up the baseball, hiding it in his palm as he slowly wandered home. Nessie floated directly next to Severus, cheek resting on the older boy's thin shoulder, his slender arms wrapped around Severus's bicep. As Severus clambered over the final fence between two houses, he turned his head and met Nessie's soft green eyes. "What do you want for your birthday, Nessie?"

As he had before, Nessie blushed, but he leaned closer to Severus and rasped, "S'e y'u w'th'ut y'ur sh'rt 'n." Bright green eyes wandered casually over Severus's thin face and down his long throat, to his skinny chest, and locked there for a long moment before Nessie tore his gaze away and looked down at his knees, still wrapped around Severus's arm.

Severus slowly nodded, tilting his own head to side to bump his head gently against Nessie's. "Of course," he replied, and stepped over a crack on a sidewalk, turning up the warped walk to Spinner's End, "but you see me without a shirt on every night when I change."

Nessie swallowed thickly and whispered, sliding through the wall next to the square front door as Severus pushed it open, "B't n't j'st f'r me."

Severus, pulling Nessie to a stop in front of the fireplace, lifted his head and smiled.

(O.o)

Nessie, floating vertically in the corner of Severus's room, watched greedily as Severus slowly shucked off his shirt, looking nervously over his shoulder at his boy every few seconds, and cautiously turned back to fully meet Nessie's gaze, his odd smock and long grey nightshirt balled up in his hands. Nessie floated lazily over to Severus and put his hands out in front of him, gently resting the tips of his fingers on the edges of Severus's shoulders; Severus shuddered under the gentle touch and forced himself not to lean into it. Slowly, Nessie came closer and his tiny hands mapped out the sallow, sunken planes of Severus's thin chest, memorizing the levels and bumps with touch. Severus shuddered again, unable to hold the physical reaction in, and brought his own hands forward and linked them around Nessie's thin waist, pulling the younger boy up against his front, and slowly leaned down to press their lips together.

Nessie sighed delicately into Severus's mouth, his hands flat against Severus's chest as his own thin lips opened wide enough for Severus to delve inside; Severus turned Nessie around and quietly lowered the younger boy to the bed, tucking his own hand inside Nessie's black shirt and stroking the tips of his long fingers along the scarred ribs. Nessie gasped against Severus's thin lips and when Severus allowed him to pull away, he made sure that Severus was touching the thin grey nightshirt and gently dressed Severus in it, reaching up under the hem ragged around Severus's ankles to unbutton and cautiously pull down Severus's pants, the fabric falling through his scarred hands once it wasn't touching Severus's skin. Nessie pressed his thin red lips together in a tiny frown and allowed Severus to pull him down under the duvet, cuddling up against Severus's chest and sighing against the slender expanse of grey.

The butterfly landed on top of Nessie's head as he tilted his chin up to press a quick kiss to Severus's cheek, and Severus smirked down at Nessie, dropping his long hands to wrap around Nessie's face, entrapping it in the cage of his grasp. "Happy birthday, Nessie," he breathed, and pulled Nessie forward to brush a kiss over the other boy's thin red lips.

Nessie's small hand danced over Severus's clothed chest and his scarred cheeks flushed pink. "Yes," he agreed, and watched as Severus slowly fell asleep, his grasp on Nessie never lessening. Nessie hoped he'd never let go.

The baseball sat in front of the fireplace, abandoned.

* * *

A note: to anyone who read my response to -Zandris-'s review last chapter, please disregard it. That was my plan until I had a fantastic idea that would require Harry alive for this story, so that's what is going to happen. Yay.  
Also, Happy Christmas/Holidays to everyone! I will attempt to update tomorrow, but this chapter is longer than the usual in case I don't get the chance. Thank you all!  
Oh, and another note: Severus is ten and Nessie is eight.

**Ch28 Review Responses:  
**Gondegoogoo: *grins* Thank you!!  
RavenclawSnake: There is _always_ hope for Snarry. You have a rat? So win. I am supremely jealous; I have wanted a rat for _years_. Anyway, thank you for the review!  
-Zandris-: Epic poems are easily the best! Thank you!!  
THE mlb: Baseball, eh? There was a baseball in this chapter; you can have it. And your award. Put them both up on the mantle and call it a day. Nessie will become briefly visible during times while Severus is at Hogwarts as a student and by the time Harry is a student (spoiler!!), he will be visible all the time. And, no, I didn't name Nessie after the Loch Ness Monster…I just thought of the cutest-yet-still-Severus sort of name that I could think of and Nessie is what I chose. Thank you!!  
Badbonita: I know what you mean about the child abuse being carried over generations thing, as well as both Eileen and Severus being bullied. For some reason, I thought of the statistic that (I don't remember the exact number but I remember it's over 50%) of women who have been raped are raped again; it's almost as if they emit some sort of pheromone that attracts rapists after they had been raped the first time, or something. I don't remember exactly. Anyway, thank you and I hope your holiday was awesome as well!!  
Paon: You liked how the Potters were tied in? I'll admit, so do I. I can't answer anything else, because that would be spoiling, but thank you for the reading and the reviewing!  
Happy Holidays, all!!  
-Replacement


	30. Chapter Thirty, Bedbugs and Bellybuttons

My apologies for not updating for five—six, is it, now?—days. Apparently, when you're up in the mountains and your parents decide that they need a few days without any technology—except for _their_ phones and _their_ computers, of course, which I am evidently not allowed to be on, because of course, who _knows_ what I would do!? Download Snarry porn or something of the sort, most likely—you're the one who has to suffer. It's great, let me tell you. Anyway, chapter thirty! Whooooooo  
Also, Winter Park snow sucks _so bad_ that it wasn't even worth it.  
Oh, and: **Warning:** This chapter contains child abuse.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty:  
Bedbugs and Bellybuttons

_The weather outside is weather  
_-Forgetting Sarah Marshall

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **August the Ninth**

Glued to the last canto of _Paradiso_, Severus dropped his bum on the stairs and stared at the last verse. Dante's _terza rima_ was astonishing; the introduction to the epic poem claimed that the rhyming style had never been duplicated and it had been invented solely for the _Divine Comedy_—Dante was, in Severus's opinion, a bloody genius. Using Virgil as the guide…Merlin, that was superb. Severus had a copy of the _Aeneid_—pity, however, that it was the English translation and not the actual Latin version; Severus had pled with his mum to find him the Latin version, but it had been too expensive when she had finally dredged up a copy—and Virgil was astonishing.

_The Love which moves the sun and the other stars._

Severus slowly closed the thick book and set it aside, staring blankly at his empty hands. As cautiously as he could manage, Severus unhurriedly raised his gaze and met Nessie's warm green eyes, the thin red lips curved up in the bright grin that was so familiar and so precious. Nessie floated in front of him, wearing only a copy of Severus's worn grey underpants—he had followed Severus's direct order to wear less clothes to the letter and Severus was extraordinarily pleased with the results; seeing Nessie's perfectly pale and scarred body revealed to the entire world but visible to _only_ Severus was more stimulating than he could realize—and his tiny hands held out in front of him for Severus to hold and to have, forever.

Severus leaned against the wall directly to his right and pulled Nessie into his lap, wrapping his longer arms around Nessie's delicate waist, and buried his nose in the crease of Nessie's neck and shoulder, murmuring into the pale skin, "_the Love which moves the sun and other stars._" Severus paused for the tiniest amount and then continued, "Which is nothing compared to which I feel for you, Nessie."

Nessie tilted his chin upwards and pressed a quick, firm kiss to Severus's thin lips. "I l've y'u, Sevvie," he breathed, and Severus soared.

(O.o)

Severus laid on the couch in front of the fireplace, absently paging through the last few pages of _The Faerie Queene_, Nessie curled up on his chest with his head tucked under Severus's chin. The sliding door to the kitchen—one of only two doors that led from the house to outside; the door used to have a screen but Severus's father had torn it off a while back—slammed open and the horrid, rank smell of cheap alcohol swam into the house. Severus stiffened as his father stomped into the house, bellowing for Severus's mum, but she was gone—at the grocery store, if Severus remembered correctly.

"She's at the store!" he called, gently stroking down Nessie's wild hair with one long, thin hand. His father paused in the kitchen and took what sounded like a deep gulp of booze; Tobias belched loudly and stomped into the tiny sitting room. Severus slowly put aside his book and clenched one hand on Nessie's scarred, protruding hip, peering nervously up at his father and holding his cold boy tight in his arms.

A rough hand twisted in his hair and yanked Severus off the couch, forcing him to let out a pained gasp and grab up at Tobias's hands in a futile attempt to release the grasp from his greasy hair. Severus twisted, pelvis bucking and back arching; a heavy hand smacked across Severus's cheek and he went immediately limp. "You goddamn worthless…_freak_," Tobias rasped into Severus's face, booze-baited breath harsh against Severus's sallow skin, and Tobias broke the empty Jack Daniel's bottle on top of Severus's head; his entire body rung with the impact and Severus went momentarily dazed—all he could see were bright green stars in a black background.

Severus shook his head quickly and looked up just in time to see his father stick the broken booze bottle in the happily roaring fire, the glass going a gentle sheen of pink. He gasped—his father wouldn't _dare_, would he? But Severus knew better; he had the scars to prove it—and squeezed his eyes shut as Tobias grumbled drunkenly and slowly ordered Severus to open his eyes.

Severus haltingly complied, pressing his lips together in fear, and the first thing he saw was Nessie, his delicate boy's wide green eyes locked on his face with the glitter of concern etched all over his body. "Sevvie?" Nessie whispered, and in that moment, a bright staircase of pain arched up from his side. Severus gasped and fell to the floor, his father wandering off, bellowing absently for another bottle of booze.

Severus looked up just in time to see Nessie's entire body contort in rage; he did not see Tobias return just as he faded into blackness.

(O.o)

He awoke to darkness; all he could see was the dim outline of the tiny window to his left; it hurt to breathe and there was something tied too tightly around his waist—where was Nessie? Agony burst in bright silver and red waves throughout his entire right side and Severus's long hands automatically went to clutch the wound in his side, as well as two others that he couldn't remember—one right on top of his hip, making something echo inside of him, and the other long and narrowing on the arch of his right thigh. The three wounds burned and Severus tried to arch away from the pain, but it followed him wherever he went—

"Sevvie?" Nessie's familiar voice echoed from the foot of the bed and he tried to sit up, tried to reach for the only one who cared, but Nessie stopped him by sitting on his chest and gently stroking his cold fingers over the planes and valleys and angles of Severus's face. "D' n't m've. Y'ur f'ther h'rt y'u, b't I st'pped h'm, Sevvie, f'r y'u," Nessie proudly informed Severus, who gulped through the pain in his throat—it had transferred to even there; his entire body was in agony from the three wounds—and tried to smile. He wanted to ask how his Nessie had stopped his father but couldn't force the words past his lips; however, there was no one more precious to him than Nessie and the delicate boy knew Severus well enough to understand what he was trying to ask, and answered Severus's unasked question, "I p't m' h'nd thro'gh h's peen." Nessie leaned slightly forward, Severus's mind racing—_peen_? Did Nessie mean penis?—and then coming to a slow, grinding halt as soft red lips pressed against his own thin ones; cautiously, Severus tried to raise his hands but he couldn't manage, and he had to relinquish control to his precious boy, to his only Nessie, to the one who mattered most, above all others…

"It hurts," Severus managed when Nessie slowly pulled away, licking his lips at the saliva connecting their mouths, and Nessie nodded, his bright green eyes beseeching and tearing Severus in two.

"I kn'w," Nessie murmured, and lifted up one of Severus's hands to rest on a long, rippled silver scar crossing across Nessie's concave stomach; Severus stroked the length of the scar and watched as Nessie's bright eyes welled up with affectionate tears. "I l've y'u, so m'ch," Nessie rasped, and beneath the bright tremor of pain echoing throughout Severus's entire body, his chest and ribcage tightened, a twist of pain-pleasure that caused his hands to tighten momentarily and then relax fully against Nessie's perfect white skin.

Nessie watched pain ripple across his Sevvie's face and nodded to himself; if it was the last thing he did, he would make Tobias Snape pay—even more than the agony he was going through now—and make sure that Sevvie never stopped loving him. Sevvie had promised that he would never be in pain again; Nessie swore to himself that he would do the same for Severus, even if it killed him.

* * *

Question: Has anyone else noticed that Mathew Gray Gubler looks kind of like Keira Knightley? I noticed that during an episode of Criminal Minds and I can't stop thinking about it…goddamnit. None of you can know just how much that pisses me off. Fuck.

**Ch29 Review Responses:  
**Gondegoogoo: *grins* Thank you!!  
Jisa: Yeah, Nessie has been aging as Severus does. He's two years younger than Severus; my apologies if I have not explained that properly. Thank you!  
angieqt12005: Whooooo updates! Here's another chapter; thank you for the review!  
-Zandris-: I figured that Severus was always a rude bastard and that it began in childhood because that's the developmental stage for personalities and all that jazz. Have a Happy New Year, as well, my faithful reviewer!  
-Replacement


	31. Chapter Thirtyone, Nip

**Warning: This story will contain light bdsm. If that squicks, don't read. It will begin (as I'm seeing it now, but knowing Severus, it'll be sooner) during Severus's fifth year at Hogwarts; so, for not quite a few chapters, but I didn't want anyone to be surprised.  
****This chapter contains memories of past child abuse and main character death.  
**Also, as claimed by severussgrl, this is the best Snarry she's (I'm taking the liberty of assuming gender as it says 'girl' [I think] in her username) ever read, so I am officially declaring this story awesome. *awesome*

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-One:  
Nip

_Pants, at a time like this?  
_-The Hangover

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **August the Twelfth**

Severus hadn't been out of bed in three days and it was slowly driving him insane. While he had never been the most active of children, he still felt the perverse lack of sun and moonlight, and Nessie had directly ordered him not to read anything, as lifting a book could strain the slowly healing wound in his right side—according to Nessie, at least. Although Severus was quite sure that if just as long as Nessie helped him with the book, he'd be just fine, but Nessie wouldn't let him even move, imploring Severus to believe that either his pretty, delicate boy liked to see him in bed—unlikely—or that Nessie knew more about healing wounds than Severus wanted to know.

Nessie sat up at the end of Severus's bed, eyes huge in the waning darkness, and floated over to wrap Severus's unusually lightly cool hands in his own smaller ones; "H'rting, Sevvie?" Nessie murmured questioningly, leaning forward to breathe his sweet exhalations onto Severus's lips. Severus craned his neck forward and brushed his mouth over Nessie's for the barest second before allowing his head to fall back and nodding; Severus sighed and restrained from yanking his grasp away from Nessie's and pressing his hands to the aching wounds.

"Can't you put something on it?" Severus ground out, squeezing Nessie's hands hard in his own, demanding to cause his boy as much pain as had been caused him, a twisted type of placement of pain. He desperately desired to mutilate his father, to scar the man so permanently and deeply that he would never be able to move again, that his father would feel the pain, all in one gasp, that he had ever caused Severus in his entire life; alas, as his father was yet stronger and more powerful than Severus—for only _now_, Severus vowed; one day, he would decimate the man—Severus had to settle with hurting the one closest to him. However, Nessie didn't even blink as he shook his head and responded.

"P'tting som'th'ng 'ne it m'kes et h'al sl'wer, s'nce its s' d'ep," Nessie softly explained, as he moved Severus's right hand to the wrist of his own left hand, and quickly stripped the dressing off the wound in Severus's side and, using Severus's help, dropped it off the side of the bed and applied a new dressing. "Y'u 'lso n'ed t' e't he'lthy f'ods," Nessie explained, and when he met Severus's deep gaze, something horrible and dark and unexplainable flashed over his face. Severus did not ask—he even had his own secrets, although very few of them he kept from Nessie—and only nodded. "H'wev'r," Nessie rambled, leaning forward to press a brief, pressure-less kiss on top of the dressing, "S'nce y'ur…y'ur _d'et_ is n't"—Nessie took a deep breath, as if to ready himself for the next word—"w'll-n'urish'd, 't c'uld t'ke long'r f'r y'u to he'l." Nessie slid up next to Severus and curled up on his left side, making sure not to touch the wounds on Severus's right side, hip or thigh with a misplaced arm or leg carelessly slung over.

Severus paused and then gave in to asking the question, "How do you know that?"

Nessie paused, his entire cool body freezing for a long moment before he sat up and pressing his eyebrows to his kneecaps as he curled up next to Severus's side. "I…I j'st _kn'w_," he attempted to implore, and Severus paused, mind racing. Was this like how Severus knew how silver reacted to Sopophorous beans or the reasoning behind a potion to cure lycanthropy would have to do with Sopophorous beans soaked in silver and wolfsbane—also known as aconite and monkshood—cut so finely that it was nearly powder. Severus was unsure of how he knew such things, but was knowledge that he just _knew_, and if his Nessie also had such knowledge, then he would not argue with it.

Severus pulled Nessie down with his left arm and against his left side, tucking Nessie's head between his shoulder and neck. Lying his right arm fully at his side and his hand under his slightly inflamed thigh, Severus tilted his head to the side and leaned his cheek on the top of Nessie's brightly black hair, inhaling his boy's sweet scent. "What did they do to you?" he breathed, and when Nessie's eyes moved up to meet his, Severus pushed his mind into Nessie's and died along with everything that mattered to him.

_He was in a cage, one of those types that pet stores kept dogs in, except that this one was covered in a brown tarp that made all the smells of the little boy—defecation, urination, tears and vomit, old, decaying blood and sex days old—triple tenfold and reflect back, as well as enclose the heat and humidity, making the cage seem a good five times warmer than it would be simply sitting in the basement. A small boy—_his_ boy—lay curled up near the door, as far away from his excrement and waste as he could, and Severus softly whispered Nessie's name. However, there was no reaction, and when he tried to reach out and touch Nessie, his hand went right through the other boy's shoulder and he kept on sleeping fitfully, often letting out tiny whimpers and moving uncomfortably. The cage was rather large, but Nessie had to completely curl up in a tiny ball to even be able to comfortably lie down._

_Severus allowed his eyes to rove greedily over the much smaller form of his Nessie's body—from what Severus figured, Nessie was about three—and wondered at all of the scars and wounds. Although he saw the scars on a daily basis, it was entirely another thing to see the wounds literally healing; who would dare hurt his Nessie? Would he have to witness it? Severus gulped as someone tore off the tarp and Nessie jerked away, his breathing suddenly coming quick and fast and panicked. Severus wanted to take his Nessie in his arms and hold him tight, promise his Nessie that no one would ever hurt him again—Severus swore again, out loud, to himself and also to this younger, equally beautiful Nessie, although he was unheard, that Nessie would never be hurt again, that Severus would never allow it—but it was impossible; this was only a memory._

_A huge, mustachioed man pulled open the cage door and yanked Nessie out, Severus being forced to follow when Nessie was taken out of the cage. The room that Severus had seen previously—the pit with a single bed and now a tarp-covered cage in the furthest corner—appeared and he watched, infuriated, as the huge man threw his Nessie onto the bed and tied his wrists and ankles to the four corners of the thin bed. "You goddamn freak," the man spat, and Nessie whimpered loudly, eyes rolling around the room. "We can't afford to keep you around anymore." The man raised a long, thin knife and began to carve pretty designs in Nessie's perfect pale skin. "But that doesn't mean I can't have my fun with you, first." He leered at Nessie and Severus gulped, stepping forward and placing his hands on top of one of Nessie's clenched fists; although Nessie didn't know, Severus would always be there for him._

_Nessie gasped and in the moment before he died, an unfamiliar scar—a lightning bolt on his forehead, right above his right eye; what in the _world_?—burned bright green and then Severus watched as the only thing in the world that mattered floated away, his body going limp and his seeping blood slowly coming to a stop; Severus screamed and disappeared._

"No," Severus gasped as he allowed Nessie to push him out of his mind, and, ignoring the pain, turned over on his left side and held his boy. "Who was that, Nessie? Who…who _killed_ you?"

Nessie gulped audibly but softly answered, "My Uncl'," and Severus understood.

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **August the Thirteenth**

Severus awoke to feeling slightly damp and rather sticky, but comfortable with Nessie in his arms. Someone was touching his side with thin fingers and Severus mumbled incoherently as he turned his head to meet his mum's dark gaze. "Mum?" he murmured, and she nodded, her black eyes bright with unshed tears.

"Did Tobias do this to you, my son?"

Severus nodded and, with his right arm, pulled the duvet up and over his shoulder so that there was absolutely no chance of Eileen seeing Nessie. He touched his freshly dressed wounds with the tips of his fingers and brought them up to his face, unperturbed by the blood staining his sallow skin. "He was drunk," Severus softly informed her, and as watched the moment before his mum tore out of his room, she had tears streaming down her hollow cheeks.

Severus pushed the duvet back down and tilted Nessie's chin up with a blood-stained, long-fingered hand and met his boy's sleep-muddled green eyes. "Mine," he informed Nessie, who smiled slightly and nodded.

"Y'urs," Nessie replied in a quiet tone, cracking a yawn half-way through the word and lifting his chin for a kiss, which Severus obediently dispensed, ignoring the sharp pain as he twisted slightly to slowly map out Nessie's mouth with his tongue. Saliva pooled between them, mixing and matching between their lips and mouths, and as Severus roughly probed the thick scar tissue on Nessie's tongue where the horse-faced woman had carved out part of his tongue, Nessie whimpered—not unlike the whimper he had expressed when he had been tied to the bed by his Uncle—but arched into Severus's thin body, his delicate hands fisting against Severus's chest.

Severus pulled back, licking at the strands of saliva connecting their lips, and dropped his forehead to rest against Nessie's, their combined breaths meeting and simultaneously retreating. "You will _never_ be hurt again, my Nessie, I will not allow it," he implored, and Nessie blearily met Severus's sharp black gaze, his green eyes hazy with something that Severus did not recognize.

"Pr'mise?" Nessie asked, his voice so soft that Severus could have assumed it had simply never occurred at all, and his hands clamped down on Severus's thin shoulders.

"I promise," Severus swore, and sealed it with a kiss.

* * *

First post of the New Year. Wow. Exciting. I was watching Lakeview Terrace when it changed, and so that means that 2010 is going to be filled with shitty movies and sleeping dogs—my dog was sleeping on my feet because he's an asshole (not really; Caine's way awesome. I just call him an asshole for fun). Goddamnit, that movie sucks so hard.

**Ch30 Review Responses:  
**RavenclawSnake: You're not the only one who's become addicted, dude. I can barely go a day without reading some horrible, twisted fanfic that would make Houdini gay (random Mitch Fatel reference win!!); it's way awesome. *smirks suggestively* Oh, you don't think that Snarry porn exists? I totally uploaded a rather graphic Snarry photo onto my mother's desktop once when I was mad at her and didn't tell her how to change it back; it's really no wonder I'm not allowed on their computers. I understand that you winked through emoticons at me, but I don't care. *grins* I don't know what Avenue Q is but, hey, man, if it makes you like _TH_ better, I ain't arguin'. *glomps* You're welcome! And the title of Ch30…had nothing to do with the chapter. It just popped into my head and I typed it down before I could lose it. Thank you for the review and for reading! *dances*  
Gondegoogoo: *grins* Thank you!  
Badbonita: Yeah, Tobias is a bastard. In both canon and fanon, as well, which sucks. Like vacations which suck. Goddamnit. Anyway, thank you!!  
angieqt12005: Here's that update, and thank you!!  
Jisa: Thank you!!  
THE mlb: I completely know what you mean and I way see it, too. My reasoning for Reid being constantly attacked with physical injury and Hotch being attacked with emotional pain is that Reid is physically weak and Hotch is remarkably stoic, so the writers like to just attack them at their weak points. Dem bast'rds! Thank you for the review! *grins wildly* Also, I totally thought that you meant that MGG would look like Kiera Knightley if he was a guy (the conviction that you thought MGG was a chick lasted only a few seconds, I swear), and then I realized differently, so I'm not retarded. Whew. (If the word 'retarded' offends anyone, you're not only pathetic, you need to go…get laid, or something. Or just realize that 'retarded' is only a word and if a _word_ offends you, then you're retarded. And a hippie. Who has sex with flowers. Damnit, I hate flowers.)  
-Zandris-: Dude, whoa, don't go insultin' the Park, man! Winter Park is the _best_! We got a foot of powder over the past day or so and I'm going back up there tomorrow to board in what I believe to be called heaven. I wish that your New Year be filled with sweet…stuff and excitement; and thank you for the review!  
severussgrl: Shit, dude, the best Snarry you've _ever read_? Hot damn, that's quite an honor! Because of you, this story has officially been declared awesome! Thank you a ton! And, yes, Criminal Minds is goddamn amazing.  
-Replacement  
(It really pissed me off that the review responses were so long. I'm going to work on making them shorter; y'all will see next chapter. Thank you!)


	32. Chapter Thirtytwo, Loose, Like A Spider

My apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I had some horse stuff going on and that always takes priority over fanfiction.  
This chapter is dedicated to Alex, the awesome anonymous reviewer.  
**Please look on my profile page for an important announcement. It's at the bottom, in bold, for those who don't want to read everything else.**

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-Two:  
Loose, Like A Spider

_This is more interesting than that.  
_-National Treasure: Book of Secrets  
(The movie sucks, yes, but the line was good)

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **August the Seventeenth**

Nessie had not left Severus's presence for the past four days, not even when Severus had to call his mum to help him in the bathroom—shame had overwhelmed him, that Nessie had to see him in such a position, but he had felt so sick and been in so much pain that he had been able to push away his shame—and one of his hands was always touching Severus, even the lightest, briefest touch. It had been more comforting than Severus could describe, and now the two of them were in literal constant contact, a feeling that Severus had been unaware even existed.

Severus also noticed Nessie watching him, his gaze cautious and curious and his visage calculating, as if he was studying Severus, as if trying to understand. Severus occasionally wanted to ask Nessie what he was thinking about, wanted to know what was so _fascinating_ about his own features that Nessie couldn't take his eyes off them, and that thought made Severus examine Nessie more closely—trace the wild scars that covered Nessie's perfect body with his eyes, allow his gaze to travel down the length of Nessie's nose and his cheekbones and his jawbone and his neck—and Severus could feel the now-familiar emotions swirl around and through his entire body, choking and suffocating him, and Severus had to clutch his boy in his arms, ignoring the pain from the wounds, to keep a lid on his words. Then, he would whisper the words he could no longer hold back into Nessie's perfect ear, and Nessie would respond in just the way that Severus's chest ached for, and then they would kiss, making Severus soar higher than the clouds, higher than the sun itself.

Severus pressed his nose to the crease of the angle where Nessie's neck met his shoulder and breathed in deeply, huffing the addicting scent of clean rain and pale roses, and slowly bared his teeth against the scarred skin, Nessie arching back into his touch and clutching his hands into claws against the thin forearm Severus had slung across his chest, his breath coming in delicate pants and rough gasps. Slowly, Severus opened his jaw, unobtrusively shifting his body beneath Nessie's so that there was no weight near his right side, and bit down, grinding his teeth as Nessie whined loudly and threw a moan towards the ceiling, his mind careening around and when their eyes met, Severus fell forward, allowing his boy's bright green eyes to suck him in, yank him down into a chamber beneath a hall, a chamber where snakes presided over the stony domain and older versions of himself and Nessie writhed and did something unfamiliar on a bed.

Pulling out of Nessie's mind, Severus dropped his lips against Nessie's perfect mouth and simply held them there, reveling in the feeling of being alive.

* * *

Does anyone else think that some UFC fighters ever whisper dirty things to the other fighters to throw them off? I wonder that way too often.

**Ch31 Review Responses:  
**Gondegoogoo: *grins* Thank you!!  
Alex: Well, hot damn, you're awesome. I would reply to everything you said, but that would take pages. However, I do understand what you're saying about the vowel-tongue thing, but I can't change it now. Also, in your last review (Ch28), you totally have it right; that's exactly what I'm planning on. Like I have in the summary, all the pairings are going to be canon—unrequited SS/LE, but it doesn't have to be Snape-loves-Lily. Also, I'm taking some heavy artistic leeway with Black's comments—after all, someone has to be pretty twisted and Dark to join the Death Eaters, and I'm taking that completely in context. Yes, Nessie's existence is going to evolve and change. Also, your Ch28 review…I understand exactly what you're saying, but that happened in fifth year. There are still five years to go until Severus is that proficient, and as I don't think that Severus would just come into Hogwarts with those types of abilities. I am taking your last review into my hands and holding it tight, as it gave me a ton of ideas and I'm going to twist his time in Slytherin a bit because of you. Thank you a _ton_!!  
THE mlb: Yeah, he'll find out, and it won't be pretty. *grins* Best ever? And flowers just suck. They're all pretty…and ew. Thanks!  
Jisa: Thank you!  
-Zandris-: Thank you!  
kaiistar: A novel? Holy shit, you really think so?! Thank you!!  
angieqt12005: You can smack Tobias whenever you want. He deserves it. Here's that update, and thank you!  
blackroseturnedred: Well, besides the fact that any fanfiction is technically AU, I'll try and help. Idea one: Polyjuice (Technically, it wasn't Snape who died; however, you'd have to explain the memories, which could be that they were copies from Snape's actual memory). Idea two: Snape does die, but comes back to life with Necromancy. I think there was a story I read about that…but I don't remember who by or whatnot. *thinks* Snape has an identical twin and the twin was the one that was in love with Lily and then died? No, that's not a good idea. I think the Necromancy idea is your best bet if you don't want to go _too_ AU, or you could have someone else die in Snape's place; i.e., instead of Voldemort thinking that Snape was the Master of the Elder Wand, have V think that someone like Lucius or Draco Malfoy—someone that's important but won't influence your story line—is the Master. Thank you for reading and reviewing!  
-Replacement


	33. Chapter Thirtythree, One Day

_****_

Tender Hooks  
**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-Three:  
One Day

_People talking without speaking,  
People hearing without listening,  
People writing songs that voices never share  
_'The Sound of Silence', Simon and Garfunkel

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **August the Twentieth**

It had been eleven days since Severus's father had stabbed him with the broken glass bottle, and Severus was feeling all gross and twitchy. The wound in his side was finally beginning to heal but the wounds in his right leg and hip were still too swollen for Nessie's liking and he still wasn't allowed out of bed without his mum with him to make sure he didn't fall down. Nessie was still constantly attached to Severus, and it was really starting to bother the taller boy that he couldn't even run away from Nessie—not that he _wanted_ to, but it was an option that he had once had and now no longer—when the other boy became too much.

Severus, lying back on his tiny bed, kept on staring up at the ceiling, even when Nessie delicately announced that one day, he was going to own a dog and name it after something that Severus liked. Even when Nessie tried to get Severus's attention by telling him that he loved him, Severus held in his trembling gasp—he was still surprised that someone as beautiful as Nessie could feel something like _love_ for someone like _him_, but if Nessie wanted to give him something as precious as love, Severus was going to grab onto the opportunity with both hands and never let go, because he was selfish and he knew it—and fisted his hands at his hips under the thin blanket. He just wanted to be alone right now and wasn't quite sure how to tell Nessie; however, it wasn't like Nessie could just _leave_ him—even when Nessie had turned invisible on him, if Nessie was to believed, then Nessie had stayed with him the entire time—and, anyway, he just needed time to himself.

Severus sighed and met Nessie's gaze. "Can you go? I need to be alone right now," he asked, and waited for the expectant tears and violent reaction…that never came. Instead, Nessie pressed a brief kiss to the sallow skin of Severus's exposed shoulder, threw Severus a smile, and floated absently out of the tiny bedroom. Taking a deep breath of the sudden silence, Severus kept his gaze on the ceiling and held in his tiny smile when he heard Nessie, all the way from downstairs, talking to himself about what kind of dog he was going to get someday.

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **August the Twenty-First**

Nessie floated in front of the fireplace, as he had been for the past day, thinking about Severus and Lily and Petunia and Severus's dad and mum and all the people he knew, which weren't very many. And, really, only one person knew Nessie, so Nessie figured that he could only say that he really _knew_ only one person, and that was Severus. But, to Nessie, Severus was enough.

Right?

If Severus was all Nessie needed, then why did Nessie want a dog? Why did he want a little black and white thing to pet and play with and throw balls for, when he had Severus? It wasn't because Severus wasn't enough, was it? He loved Severus. Didn't he? Wasn't love that feeling that burbled in his chest whenever he saw or thought about or even heard Severus, the feeling that if Severus ever left him, he would literally vanish into thin air, like a foal separated from the herd? It made Nessie sick, thinking that with how much he relied on Severus, that there was some weird thing inside of him that thought Severus, who was _everything_, wasn't enough. The thought tore at something deep inside of him, made his entire body tremble with fear that one day, if Severus wasn't enough for him, then _he_ wouldn't be enough for _Severus_, and that was his worst fear, that Severus would leave him. Maybe if he only secretly wanted a dog, then he could convince himself that Severus wouldn't ever leave him.

Maybe, Nessie thought, and squeezed his eyes shut as his mind swamped him with visions of what a reality without Severus would consist of.

It was worse than he thought.

* * *

_Some men just want to watch the world burn._

**Ch32 Review Responses:  
**.: Why, thank you. *grins* Here's an update; instead of watching it, you can just go ahead and read it.  
Gondegoogoo: You know, somebody has asked that about Morsus, too. Weird. No, Severus isn't a Seer, but I will tell you that Nessie's mind is not…normal, for lack of a better word. I can't explain more because that would ruin important parts of the story, but thanks for the review!  
THE mlb: *grins* Oh, that's what _you_ think. Thank you!!  
it's-not-amoose323: Actually, you're right. The missing part of Nessie's tongue is much closer to the back. The way I see it, Petunia dug the knife in as far back as she could get it, and sliced off a pretty hefty chunk, which is why his vowels are so affected. Thanks for the review and I hope that answers your question!  
-Zandris-: *dances* Impressive, dude, you totally predicted this chapter. I congratulate you, and give you this imaginary quarter. I promise, it's a very nice quarter, if only for the fact that it doesn't technically exist. And, yeah, you spelt temperamental wrong, but I forgive you. Also, the imaginary quarter is good luck for exams, so take it with you.  
-Replacement


	34. Chapter Thirtyfour, You Joker

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-Four:  
You Joker

_Wait, no, that's vampires.  
__Vampires aren't Christmas.  
_-Acid Zen Wonder Paint

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **August the Twenty-First**

When Nessie finally made his slow, halting way back upstairs, Severus noticed a distinct lack of the usual expressions—the bright smiles, the shy glances, the bare blushes—that Nessie wore, and when Nessie shifted nervously on the other side of the room, Severus turned over on his left side and rested his head on his outstretched arm, intentionally leaving enough space in the tiny bed for Nessie to curl up next to him. Just as he was thinking that Nessie wasn't going to sleep with him tonight, there was a tiny sound and Nessie was in his arms, head tucked under Severus's chin and his delicate hands kneading Severus's thin shoulders; Severus could nearly _feel_ Nessie's mind racing with something he could not quite name.

As it was late, Severus felt his eyes slowly close and his arms tighten around Nessie's delicate shoulders, and he dropped his lips to press them against a particularly thick scar crisscrossing over Nessie's left collarbone; he could feel the break in the bone under the thin, pale skin, and as he slowly fell asleep, Severus's mouth opened and he bit down lightly on the once-broken collarbone.

Nessie lay next to Severus, absently tracing faint designs on Severus's sallow skin with the tips of his fingers, and he slowly closed his own eyes, imagining Severus and himself dancing on top of a castle, Severus wearing an unfamiliar outfit with a silver and green tie, his black eyes as bright as the stars above them.

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **August the Thirtieth**

Severus grabbed onto one of his boy's small hands as his mum told him once again he could make it down the stairs and sit with Lily and Tuney in front of the fire, and he quickly nodded, not meeting her gaze as he limped over to the top of the stairs, wrenching himself away from his mum; Nessie could help him just fine, not that he _needed_ any help. He was perfectly capable of making it down the stairs by himself.

"Anyw'y, Sevvie," Nessie suddenly remarked, floating on the third stair down and both of his hands extended for Severus's grasp, "Ne'd to m've. H'lps bl'od circ'lation." Nessie nodded knowingly and Severus dropped both of his thin hands into Nessie's own delicate ones. With every movement, he felt pure agony, his entire body reverberating with the pain that shattered throughout and over his skin, raining down on his too-thin body with snaps like sweat drops and rainbows of horror that were made not from light arcing through raindrops but from the bright shatter of cruelty reverberating over a town filled with rage. Severus took a deep breath and dropped down the first stair, beginning the process of pushing away his pain as he dropped down something dark and body-wide in the depths of his mind.

In the tiny, cell-like sitting room, Lily and Petunia sat impatiently on the uncomfortable couch, Petunia watching as Lily's glance shot over to where the stairs were hidden behind a bookcase every few seconds. Tobias was gone, back at work for the day, and Eileen was still sleeping in the guest room; however, Severus could remember his mum whimpering loudly from Tobias's room a few nights past and then walking uncomfortably for the next few days, as if her legs hurt or something. Twenty minutes later, with a hastily snatched hand towel from Eileen's bathroom pressed against the freshly bleeding wound in Severus's hip, Lily shot to her feet when the bookcase slid aside to reveal Severus and Eileen, the similar faces too-pale and Severus's face sweaty with pain.

"Severus," Lily grinned, and pushed right through Nessie—both of them shuddered at the feeling of pure freeze wrapping around their hearts and squeezing their lungs for the entire second that it passed—to wrap one arm around Severus's waist and steer him over to the couch. Nessie frowned but followed silently, shooting Severus a tiny smile when the taller boy glanced back at him when Lily forcibly laid him down on the couch, forcing Petunia to grumble and drop down to sit on the ground. Lily perched next to Severus on the couch and grabbed one of his hands in both of her own, and Nessie, glaring at Lily, floated less than a millimeter above Severus's chest, and Severus's free left hand curled around Nessie's protruding hipbone, long thumb absently stroking the scarred skin. "How've you been keeping?"

Severus glared at her around Nessie's knees and bared his teeth when she looked like she was expecting an answer. "I was stabbed by my father with a broken glass bottle," he bit out, and could feel the remembrance of the bottle breaking over his head as if it had just happened. "How do you _think_ I've been…_keeping_?"

Lily blushed lightly and tightened her hands around Severus's own when he tried to pull his grasp away.

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **September the Sixth**

Nessie spun around in the air above the playground as Severus leaned against the tree Nessie had hidden in nearly seven months ago when they had found Lily being hurt by Severus's dad. Lily and Tuney were swinging, and every time Lily looked over at Severus to make sure he was watching her, the skin on Nessie's back tightened and his jaw began to hurt as he clenched it more and more often. Stupid Lily! Did she think that she could take Severus away from him? No, there wasn't a chance and Nessie knew it. Severus was _his_. Had Severus ever kissed Lily? _No_. Slowly coming to a twisting halt, Nessie stopped above the worn slide and looked down to stare at the top of Lily's red head; Lily was _pretty_ but Nessie was _Severus's_, and so that meant he won. He had been told by whoever had brought him to Severus to keep Severus from harm, and Nessie had failed spectacularly. If Lily ever tried anything, Nessie knew that it was his duty, his _honor_, to keep Severus from her, because he could tell by the way she moved and the flow of her hair and the brilliance of her eyes that she was going to hurt him someday, that she was going to betray him, and it would destroy Severus, so Nessie knew he had to be there for Severus when Lily ruined him.

Nessie took a deep breath and held it in, as if that kept his promise; he darted down to Severus and smiled widely up at the older boy—Severus smirked wickedly at his boy and the next time Lily looked over to make sure Severus was watching her, the only thing she saw were the apologizing leaves shaking their heads in the tall trees.

(O.o)

Although the wound in his right side had finally scabbed over, the wounds in his hip and thigh were still barely swollen and whenever Severus walked, the gash in his hip made him feel like screaming whenever he moved. However, Nessie was worth any pain, and Severus smiled through the frigid agony as he slowly lowered his body on top of Nessie's, shackling his hands around Nessie's tiny wrists and leering suggestively down at the smaller boy.

Nessie swallowed visibly—but Severus knew he wasn't nervous; why would Nessie be nervous?—but tilted his head up and forward, meeting Severus's lips halfway. Severus could feel his entire body leap forward and his heart skipped a beat, feeling his skin tighten and tingle and his hands twitched as they buried themselves in Nessie's bright black hair; Nessie's thin arms twisted around Severus's too-thin waist and as Severus slowly persuaded Nessie to open his mouth, Nessie sighed against Severus's lips and, slowly, allowed the older boy entrance.

Severus pressed his tongue to Nessie's, feeling the thick cleave of muscle that Nessie's Aunt had ruined, the one grate of his tongue towards the back and on the left where the knife had sliced away a wide section. Unable to stop himself, Severus thrust his hips forward and he could feel something odd in his pants feel bright and fantastic when it rubbed against the front of his plain black pants. Nessie froze and Severus pulled slightly back—for a moment, he could see Nessie screaming as something jutting out of the fat man's lap buried into his body—meeting the bright green eyes. At Nessie's horror, the warm, hard thing in his lap retreated, and instead of taking another kiss from his boy, Severus dropped down onto his left side and allowed Nessie to curl up in his arms and tuck his head under Severus's chin.

Although Severus knew that Nessie's lips did not move—the thin red lips were pressed against the length of his neck—he heard Nessie's soft, delicate voice, "I l've y'u, Sevvie," as clear as anything the smaller boy had ever said before. His entire body froze and although Nessie was now asleep, Severus could feel the boy tense slightly at his own discomfort; slowly, Severus forced himself to relax, and when he realized that Nessie had done much odder things than speak to him in the back of his mind, Severus slowly fell, as well, into sleep.

* * *

Well, sorry about the few days wait. I just found out one of my friends is as gay as a fake banana (which is quite gay) and I couldn't stop giggling for two days straight. Also, one of my dogs has worms. It's Chester, the hunting dog; he's a yellow Lab, and he has worms. Goddamnit, he sucks so hard.

**Ch33 Review Responses:  
**THE mlb: *grins* Yeah, they'll get past it. And, no, you haven't put ideas in my head, but I'll soon think of something! Thank you!  
Gondegoogoo: Well, I hope you weren't driving, because if you were driving when you jumped up, you probably hit your head on the roof of your car (unless you have a convertible, which is kind of cool) or crashed horrifically and are now in the hospital with violent and terrible, terrible burns. Yeah, Nessie is just a kid but that's what makes this so awesome! Thank you!  
Paon: *dances* I'm taking it slow because the stories where someone gets seriously hurt and instead of going through the healing process, the author skips forward in time to when they're all better, really, _really_ piss me off. I think that the story is going to process kind of as is, with some of the chapters having close dates and the others being with time jumps, if that makes any sense. Anyway, thank you for the review and it's great to have you back!  
RavenclawSnake: Here's that update!  
melissa Ivory: What about…_abnormal_ words? Actually, the plot is proceeding at quite a decent pace and I don't think it's going to change; I'm not going to apologize for that, either, because this is, well, y'know, _my_ story and while I appreciate the reviews and favorites and all, I'm not writing it for you guys. Kind of. Anyway, on your 'post faster' comment, there were a few days when I posted three chapters a day, and, anyways, I have other things going on. But thanks for the review and here's another chapter!  
-Replacement


	35. Chapter Thirtyfive, Lay Low

**Warning: torture is described in this chapter.** Severus is Severus, after all.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-Five:  
Lay Low

_Yup, and if I had wheels,_  
_I'd be a wagon._  
South Park, Episode 13.05 "Fishsticks"

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **September the Tenth**

Severus held the _Faerie Queene_ in one hand and Dante's _Divine Comedy_ in the other, Nessie floating just above his left shoulder and peering down at the words he could still barely understand. Other than the few Potions books he owned, these were the two most precious items that he had, not only because Nessie thought that the _Faerie Queene_ was beautiful but because his mum had gotten them for him and that the _Divine Comedy_ made Severus think things that he was unsure any little boy—not that he thought of himself as a boy—should be thinking. Like the punishment for the gluttonous…Severus could see creating a curse to constantly devour a deserving man, or the punishment for the men and women who committed suicide: getting their souls trapped in trees. Severus had had many a dream in which he lifted his wand, Nessie standing faithfully by his side and his beautiful eyes too-green, and destroyed a man or woman for their sins. Severus felt as if he needed no reason; even at ten, Severus knew that he needed to dominate, needed to control, needed to _own_, and he knew that Nessie was the only person in the entire world that he could truly be himself with.

The wound in his hip was finally, _finally_ beginning to heal, and the pain that came whenever Severus moved wasn't quite as painfully sharp, but it still sent a jagged rag of agony up and down his right side, arching into his heart and making it tremble from overexertion, but it only happened for a second and then he would take another step and it would start all over again. The entire property made Severus feel painfully sick but he tried his best to ignore it, especially when Nessie was close and watching.

Now, however, Nessie floated away from Severus's shoulder as he put down the two books, and Severus simply watched as his boy twirled gleefully around the room; Severus kept his gaze on the long, scarred neck and wondered what it would look like with a thick black collar gracing the pale expanse of skin. Severus imprinted Nessie in the depths of his mind and held his boy tight in his arms, imagining him kneeling at Severus's feet, head in Severus's lap and his eyes open only for Severus. Severus could see his precious, angelic boy holding his hands together, outstretched for Severus's grasp, everything _only_ for Severus. He knew that if Nessie ever left him, ever _really_ left him, then Severus wouldn't know what to do. He figured that he would just up and die, like a flower or weed in the winter or at first snow, and there would be no reason worth living, not if he didn't have his Nessie by his side.

At those thoughts, as if Nessie _knew_ what Severus was thinking, the boy looked up and coolly met Severus's black gaze; "I w'uld nev'r, _nev'r_ l'ave y'u, Sevvie," he rasped, and held out his hands, just like Severus wanted him to.

Severus's thin lips twisted slightly upward, as if he was trying to smile, and he leaned forward, ignoring the bright flash of horror-pain that arched from his right hip, and wrapped Nessie in his long arms, holding his boy against his thin chest, quietly murmuring that he wouldn't be able to live without Nessie, and when Nessie responded that he wouldn't know if he could even survive without Severus, Severus squeezed his eyes shut and took in a deep breath, as if he could breathe in everything that Nessie meant to him. Both boys held on to the other as tightly as they could, as if their grasp signified everything that they meant to one another.

* * *

A note: I know that there are stories in which Severus was coerced into being a Death Eater, but I believe that canon Snape _wasn't_. I believe that since he was so distraught by Lily's marriage to James that he went to the Death Eaters because he didn't know what else to do, and he found that he fit in. After all, his friends at Hogwarts were all Death Eaters—even though we only know that from Lily and Sirius, I think that we can take it in context and see who he hung around and then who became loyal to Voldemort; oh, all of them, look at that—and being around people like that change your thinking. Understood? Good. Also, canon Snape also only changed sides to keep Lily safe, so I think that he liked, or at least didn't dislike, being a Death Eater.

**Ch34 Review Responses:  
**Jisa: Thank you!!  
angieqt12005: *grins* Yeah, a fake banana is way awesome. I was trying to think of just the oddest thing I could, and that's what appeared. Here's that update!  
THE mlb: Yeah, Lily is kind of a git. I swear I'm working on my other tales of adventure but I'm sorry to say they probably won't be updated at a decent time, which way sucks. Anyway, the weather here is _amazing_—so far, five or so days of _perfect_ 60degree weather; Colorado rocks!—and thanks a ton for the review!  
Gondegoogoo: You know, I actually never thought of the entire 'Nessie jealous, technically, of his own mother' thing. It just never registered; however, thank you for reading and reviewing! *dances*  
-Zandris-: *grins* Thank you!! (I didn't really know how to respond to your review, so have a cookie. It's chocolate and actually doesn't exist; but _chocolate_!)  
Paon: Yeah, Severus is ten and Nessie is eight. If there are any thoughts about the onset of puberty: puberty can start as early as nine and males can get erections from pleasure from an early age. Hell, babies have been documented masturbating in the _womb_, so any thoughts about child arousal can be just tossed right out the window. That was probably way too much information, so thank you for the review!  
melissa Ivory: Yep! Anyway, I know just what you mean; some authors just kind of drift off from their stories, like squirrels from fire. Y'know. Anyway, abnormal words _always_ triumph over those gosh-darn _normal_ words; and thank you for the review! And reading!  
-Replacement


	36. Chapter Thirtysix, Minds

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-Six:  
Minds

'_Stick around; I'm full of surprises.'  
_-CSI: Miami, "Hell Night", Lt. H. Caine

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **September Twentieth**

Nessie darted down the stairs, through the bookcase, and outside, grinning happily at Severus's roar of anger when the other boy found out that he would have to get down the stairs by himself. Last night, while Severus had been sleeping, Nessie had examined the healing wound in Severus's right hip and declared—loudly and to himself—that he figured Severus was fit to walk unassisted up and down the stairs. Now, he floated over the cracked front walk, hearing Severus's dark explanation of fury reverberate from the top of the stairs. He knew that Severus wasn't _really_ mad at him; however, a deep, unattainable fear that resonated deep within his instincts still balked, told him to run, run as far away as he could, before Severus could tie him down in the basement and do horrible, inexplicable things to him, like his Uncle and Aunt had done. Although Nessie trusted Severus, and hoped that the thing inside of him that didn't even want Severus to touch him at all would just up and vanish, he knew that if Severus ever tried anything that was even close to what his Uncle had put him through, there would be no choice but to leave, no matter how much it hurt.

Nessie couldn't put himself through that again, he just couldn't. Nessie stared down at the heavy cracks in the front walk as his entire conscious tore itself to pieces. He would do anything for Severus—he had already mentally and emotionally established that, and it wasn't just because of the oath he had sworn to the spirits to keep Severus Snape happy—but Nessie knew there had to be boundaries. He had watched Severus watching him, a calculating look in the black eyes as they idled over certain parts of his body—neck, wrists, ankles, lips—and Nessie desperately hoped that whatever Severus was thinking about wouldn't hurt. He didn't want any more pain; that was reasonable, right? It was okay to not want to hurt anymore, right? Just because he wanted to keep Severus happy and healthy and still in love with him didn't mean he had to hurt anymore, right? If Severus was going to hurt him, then why had the spirits put him here? To betray the only one he cared for? Nessie didn't understand, and some part of him hoped that he'd never have to.

When Severus finally made it outside, panting heavily and clutching one long hand to the pain in his hip—which was thankfully not bleeding—Nessie was floating innocuously next to the old cement sidewalk, his thoughts transferred to dogs and puppies and Severus buying him one. Severus probably wouldn't want him to have one, Nessie reflected sadly as he darted over to Severus and danced happily around him, verbally expressing his joy at the other boy having made it down the stairs all by himself, because Severus just wanted him all for himself.

But there was something conflicting in the back of Nessie's mind, and while he wasn't quite sure what it was—this need, this want, this _desire_ to do exactly as Severus wanted, to be seen on his knees before Severus with his head on the other boy's lap and something that he couldn't quite describe connecting them—Nessie knew that whatever it was, unless Severus desired it so—and how could he? What person would want the complete and total submission of another?—it would have to go. And Nessie had no idea of how to do that.

* * *

There will be no review responses this chapter; I just don't have the time. I'll try to put them in next chapter. Thank you, all!  
Happy readings,  
Replacement


	37. Chapter Thirtyseven, Smarty Pants

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-Seven:  
Smarty-Pants

_A lovely horse is always an experience…  
It is an emotional experience of the kind  
that is spoiled by words._  
Beryl Markham

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **September the Twenty-Ninth**

Severus stopped himself from swinging his feet as he sat stiffly at the kitchen table, absently pushing his poorly made mashed potatoes around his plate with the tines of his fork. He had already eaten the over-cooked chicken his mum had brought back from the market and was diligently avoiding his father's gaze. Nessie sat just above the floor, next to Severus, and Severus could barely stop himself from continually glancing down at the other boy, just able to hold in his urge to pull the smaller boy's head into his lap and bury one hand in the mussed, silky-soft black hair. He had a vivid mental vision of Nessie kneeling at his feet, cheek resting on his knee, bright green eyes locked on his face, the loyalty Nessie felt towards him shining brightly from his pale skin. But Severus also knew that unless he dealt with Nessie delicately, that perfect vision would never come to pass, and he would never have Nessie just as he wanted him.

As Severus furtively glanced over at his father, he heard a tiny sigh and Nessie moved slightly, dropping his head into the depths of Severus's lap, resting his small fingers on the bridge of Severus's right thigh. Severus froze and then dropped his right hand down to rest on top of Nessie's head, threading his long fingers through the bright black hair and gently tightening his grasp until not even his father's blows could force him to let go.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Severus limped into the tiny sitting room, one hand wrapped around one of Nessie's tiny wrists as he pulled the younger boy along behind him. Nessie floated forward and leaned his delicate chin on Severus's right shoulder, conforming his small body to Severus's side; Severus carefully sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace and pulled his boy into his lap, pressing his nose into Nessie's perfect hair. They sat there, sitting in silence, and slowly, Severus began running the tips of his fingers up the trace of Nessie's lightly protruding spine. At first, Nessie froze, but only for a moment, and then relaxed into Severus's grasp, making soft, contended sounds in the back of his throat. Severus tightened his arm around Nessie's waist, shifting the younger boy to his left hip and tilting his head down to nudge his nose against Nessie's cheek.

The younger boy turned his head and met Severus's gaze, the green eyes hooded with an emotion that Severus could not name, and slowly lifted his chin to press his lips innocently against Severus's.

His heart leapt; Severus automatically held Nessie tighter and when he tilted his head slightly and pressed his tongue forward to open Nessie's lips, some queer tightening began in his groin and at the base of his spine, and Severus could not hold in his gasp as bright tendrils of hot sparks boiled through his entire body, gathering primarily at his wrists, fingers, elbows, shoulders, hips, and knees, an unfamiliar and beautiful burning sensation that turned his entire body into mush. His groin twitched for a moment and then Severus felt a rushing sensation centered around _there_, that place that Severus had never really thought about before, and if he _did_ think about it, then he felt _it_ hardening, like nothing else he had ever felt before, and something curled in the pit of Severus's stomach, something twitchy and deep that he had never felt before. Nessie moved slightly and sighed into Severus's mouth; one small hand dropped down into Severus's pants and coolly wrapped around Severus's penis.

Later, afterwards, when Severus had fallen into a state that resembled sleep, Nessie floated behind the couch, staring at his hands. He had done it again, gone and made someone want him, just like he had done with his Uncle, and Nessie knew that he couldn't do that again, because if someone ever hurt him again, Nessie knew he had to leave, no matter how much Severus meant to him, no matter that Severus meant everything to him. It had to be his fault, his own fault that made people want him in that weird, disgusting way, and Nessie knew he had to change. Perhaps if he acted like he wanted Severus to do horrible things to him, then Severus would stop wanting him like that. It was the only logical explanation, really.

Nessie swallowed thickly, clenched his fists, and floated upstairs, shedding invisible clothes as he went.

**

* * *

**

Have no fear, Nessie's thoughts will not continue past the next chapter. Severus isn't as stupid as one might think.

**Review Responses:  
**Gondegoogoo: Yes; however, you say _let_ and I say _make_. It's almost the same, but not quite. Y'know, this was supposed to be a really light, fluffy fic about a kid Snape and his little friend that only he could see, but, whoa, it's transforming into something really creepy. But it's awesome and thank you for the review!  
THE mlb: Yeah, I'm looking forward to the BDSM, as well. Yeah, I don't think Severus will wait until he's fifteen, but I can hope! And Wisconsin sucks; Colorado pwns. Thanks for the review!  
-Zandris-: Thank you!!  
BellaPur: This story will most definitely not be abandoned, or if it ever is, it'll most definitely be put up for adoption, with explicit directions for how the story is supposed to go. But that _won't_ happen, I promise. Thank you and I hope you like this chapter! And longest review you have ever done? I feel honored. Thank you again!  
melissa Ivory: Exactly. I agree completely. However, Severus was extraordinarily loyal to Voldemort until he heard the prophecy that referred to the Potters, and Lily. So we'll be expounding on that, and this story will have a much Darker Severus than canon; he'll be loyal to Dumbledore but that's about it. You'll see. Anyway, thank you for the review and for reading!  
FoxyHottie: Thank you; neither can I! It will be awesome.  
-Replacement


	38. Chapter Thirtyeight, In Balance

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-Eight:  
In Balance

_What he trusts in is fragile;  
__what he relies on is a spider's web.  
_Job 8:14 (NIV)

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **September the Twenty-Ninth  
**(Later)

Severus had not been sleeping; nay, he had been merely sitting with his eyes closed, full of a wild disarray of pure contentment, remorse and confusion. He had seen in Nessie's memories that his Uncle had done horrible things to his boy, the same kind of things that Severus also vaguely wanted to do, but he wanted those things to be different; it had seemed in Nessie's memories that Nessie hadn't wanted what his Uncle had done to him, and Severus knew that if he and Nessie ever did anything like that—which they would, Severus had no doubts about that—then he would make sure Nessie wanted it as well. He would never do anything to Nessie that Nessie didn't want.

Severus took a deep breath, steadied himself mentally and physically, and stood up. He looked around the sitting room—no Nessie, how odd—and quietly called for his boy. When there was no answer, Severus ignored the nervous twitch in the pit of his stomach, and moved over to the open staircase. It was late; perhaps Nessie had gone to bed? It was logical and even at ten, Severus knew he was a fan of logic.

Severus made his slow way upstairs, pausing at the top to get his bearings and take a few deep breaths. Ready, he stepped into his tiny bedroom and nearly fell down in surprise.

Nessie was _naked_! On his bed! What in the world? Even though the sight made something deep in Severus twitch hungrily, there was a lost look in Nessie's perfect green eyes that made Severus's gaze stop grazing eagerly over the pale, scarred body and step forward, stopping immediately when Nessie could not hide his full-body flinch. "Nessie?" Severus asked softly, and watched the gooseflesh rise up all over his boy's delicate body. "Why are you…" he couldn't even say the word—_naked_, ew—but Nessie knew what he meant; Nessie lifted his arms above his head and clenched his jaw, lifting his hips slightly.

"Th's is wh't y'u w'nt, r'ght, Sevvie? Me, 'n y'ur b'd?" Nessie bit out, tone bitterly accusing, and Severus reared back in surprise; Nessie had never been so…_forceful_ before, and it was unnerving.

"No," Severus immediately responded, and then paused for all of a second. Well, yes, he did what Nessie in his bed, because he had slept without the other boy before and it was like getting no sleep at all. "Well, yes," he amended, and then gestured to Nessie's frigid nakedness. "But not like _that_, Nessie. That's just…weird." He shucked off his shirt and motioned for Nessie to sit up. The younger boy complied, eyes wide, looking utterly baffled; Severus draped his shirt over Nessie's bare torso and made sure to keep it over his lap, because while he liked the sight of Nessie without clothes, it wasn't right like this.

The butterfly was gone.

For some reason, that made Severus's entire body freeze in place and his blood to run cold. Why would the butterfly disappear, and why hadn't he noticed it earlier? His grasp tightened on his boy's wrist—_his_ boy, his perfect, beautiful boy, the boy he would risk everything for, the boy for whom he would put aside himself to save—and Severus growled, "Where is the butterfly I gave you?"

Nessie stiffly pointed to the furthest away corner, one cloaked in shadows, and when Severus swung his head around to peer past the darkness, he saw the grey butterfly, sitting innocuously on the floor, wings still, motionless. "Why did you remove something that _I_ gave you from your possession?" Severus spat, and did not release Nessie when the younger boy tried to pull away.

"I d'dn't!" Nessie cried. "It f'll 'ff an' w'uldn't g' b'ck on!"

Severus rested his weight on his left knee, propped up on the bed, and looked between Nessie and the abandoned butterfly, mind racing. What had happened to Nessie that had made something that Severus gave to him loose it's magic? What had gone through Nessie's mind that had made such a horrible thing happen? Severus's thoughts flashed to Nessie lying in wait on the bed, naked as the day he was born, and Severus could not hold in his gasp.

What had he done? What could he have done to Nessie to make the butterfly, something that marked Nessie as _his_, stop flying? Severus grabbed Nessie, ignoring the boy's nakedness as the smock fell from his torso, and pulled him over to the corner where the butterfly laid to rest. Severus pressed Nessie up against the wall and delicately held the butterfly in one hand; he leaned forward and put the butterfly up on top of Nessie's mussed black hair, and vowed, "I love you."

The grey wings fluttered and slowly began to flap, but the butterfly did not move. Severus met Nessie's green gaze and slowly said, once again, the three truest words he had ever spoken, "I love you," and the butterfly took flight.

Severus dipped his head forward and pressed his lips to Nessie's, and his boy—_his_ boy, no one else would ever touch him or hold him or even _see_ him—smiled against Severus's lips and slowly responded, exactly how Severus wanted him to. Something dark inside of Severus crowed in delight and—

From downstairs, someone called Severus's name, and Severus swore under his breath.

(O.o)

Nessie hastily clothed himself as Severus mumbled angrily under his breath as he made his slow, limping way down the stairs, and then darted after _his_ Severus—his Severus, who hadn't done that horrible thing to him that his Uncle had done, his Severus who had brought the butterfly back to him, his Severus who wouldn't ever leave him for that stupid, horrible girl Lily—into the cell-like sitting room, where Eileen and Lily and Tuney were waiting impatiently. Nessie could see Severus's father standing just outside and wondered where Severus's parents had gone when he and Severus had done _that thing_ with his hand and Severus's thing. Severus hadn't made any noise, not like his Uncle had done, but wouldn't they have known? His Aunt had always known when his Uncle was doing those nasty things to Nessie, but that was probably because Nessie always screamed…

Nessie, after glaring ineffectively at Lily for a few minutes, floated curiously into the kitchen and through the back screen door, where Tobias was leaning against the side of the small house, drinking from a half-full bottle of whisky. Nessie had already learned that when he touched someone that wasn't Severus, it looked like a shard of shark-ice had been stuck through them, and when he had done that to Tobias after the man had stuck Severus with the glass, Tobias had screamed and screamed and screamed, like the little girl Nessie bet he was.

"N'b'dy h'rts _my_ Sevvie," Nessie growled, and stuck both of his hands forward, into Tobias's wrists; the man yelped and dropped the bottle of whisky, and a huge splash of whisky drenched his pants and shards of glass stuck in his bare arms. Nessie kept his grasp, and when Tobias tried to dart away, he stepped fully on a massive point of glass; it went straight through his foot—Nessie could _see_ it sticking between the bones and the skin and the other gross stuff, and then it bled all over.

Severus, Lily, Tuney and Eileen all came running out, and Nessie darted back over to give Severus a kiss when he saw the other boy. Lily tried to grab Severus's hand but Nessie wouldn't let her; Nessie had long ago come to the conclusion that if he was going to keep Lily away from his Severus, then he would have to do it himself, otherwise Severus would leave him. But Severus could never know what Nessie was doing for him; it had to be secret. It had to be secret, just like the part of him that wanted a dog; he had to hold his secrets so Severus would never know.

And what if Severus found out what Nessie was doing for him? Then Nessie knew that Severus could hate him for it and go to Lily instead, and Nessie would be alone again, just because he couldn't keep secrets.

Nessie held tightly onto his Severus, held on tightly enough to bruise.

If he ever let Severus go, it would never be his choice.

**

* * *

**

Ch36 Review Responses:

Gondegoogoo: *gulp* Er, yeah. I guess it is. Or it's just that Severus is starting to hit puberty and therefore is one horny sonofabitch, but I figure you're right, too. Thank you!  
Badbonita: Got that in one. But it was just for that chapter, and even though there's still some evidence of exactly what you said in this chapter, the memories of what Nessie's Uncle did to him will slowly stop taking precedence, but it will never go fully away, because I don't think something as horrible as what Nessie went through could ever completely away.  
BellaPur: He won't leave! Nessie promises! He can't leave; genetics or something. That's what I'm going with, genetics. And, yes, today has been a damn awesome day. I am ever so pleased; thank you for your review!  
angieqt12005: Like, messed up that it didn't make sense, or messed up that it was just weird and didn't go with the story line? Here's that update; thanks for reviewing!  
-Replacement


	39. Chapter Thirtynine, Down

My apologies for the lengthy time in between updates. To make a complicated story short, on Valentine's day, I went off a 15-foot-cliff on an ATV and have at least two compression fractures in my spine. So, I technically broke my back. And it sucks.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Thirty-Nine:  
Down

_Cause love remembers  
The smell of a summer day  
Lying in a hammock over fresh cut grass  
And the promise of forever  
_'Love Remembers', Craig Morgan

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **October the Twenty-Second**

Nessie had been acting odd the past few weeks, Severus had noticed, and while they had never done the thing with his _thing_ and Nessie's hand—Severus only had kind of wanted to, but it had been immediately eradicated by the memory of Nessie accusing him of wanting him like his Uncle had wanted him—Nessie had been acting summarily strange. Whenever Lily was around, Severus had seen, Nessie always distracted him by kissing him or floating up in the air and telling Severus he couldn't go any higher or showing him the butterfly, which was thankfully still fluttering around Nessie's head, or Nessie would run up to Severus and tell him he loved him over and over again. Severus was far from stupid, and he had known almost immediately that Nessie was up to something, but Severus was also relatively patient and had waited for Nessie to explain himself.

However, it had been three weeks and Severus was slowly becoming irritated with how he wasn't allowed to be around Lily. While he would much rather spend time with Nessie over Lily any day, Nessie's obvious manipulating of the situation was beginning to greatly irritate Severus; Nessie was not the one that should be controlling Severus—Severus had to be controlling Nessie for their relationship to work, and Severus knew that. Oh, Severus was well aware that although he could not have Nessie exactly how he wanted him, not quite yet, he _would_ have Nessie kneeling at his feet, head resting on Severus's knees, sooner than he knew he thought possible.

Nessie belonged to Severus, and it was high time the younger boy realized it.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Nessie had noticed about a week back that Severus was watching him, and closely. At first, he hadn't been too worried; he had thought that he was being pretty subtle in his quest to keep Severus away from Lily, as well as keeping his secrets to himself. But another doubt had crept up: if he kept Severus away from Lily, wouldn't that make Severus want to be around Lily _more_? Nessie felt so confused; some part of him wanted for Severus to just do that mind-thing between them, where he could _feel_ Severus in his mind, looking through his memories, and just find him out, so Nessie wouldn't have to think about it anymore. It wasn't that he was dumb, or anything, it was just that Nessie wasn't very good at plans. He just kind of liked doing things on the fly; it went better with who he was. Severus was the planner, the schemer, the one who could take an idea and warp it into something fascinating, something unreal. Nessie couldn't do that. It wasn't any fault of his doing, Nessie knew; it was just the way their minds were set up and how they had been raised. Well, it wasn't as if Nessie's relatives had really raised him—abused and broke him was more like it—but he had come out of that hell-hole and made the best of it that he could. He had never lied to Severus, and every time he had hurt the other boy, it had been unintentional, which was just about as good as someone could get.

Nessie sat in the air between Severus and Lily as Lily swung ever higher on the swing, and he created flowers between his fingers, dropping them in concentric circles around his Severus and the thick book resting in front of his Severus's crossed legs. He didn't know if Lily could see the flowers, but he knew Severus could, as Sevvie often picked a flower up and examined it, or moved it from where it had floated down to land on the page he was reading. He was bored, really, with his entire plan, but knew it had to keep on going, keep on keepin' on, otherwise he would never have Severus all to himself, and that stupid Lily would steal Severus away from him and Nessie would be lost in a world where he was no longer needed.

Severus was not reading, nor was he watching Lily or even Nessie. Instead, he sat in the deepest reaches of his mind, formulating a plan to have Nessie admit that he was keeping him away from Lily without any major repercussions. So far, he had decided on two plans: one, to skillfully manipulate Nessie into outright admitting that he was keeping Severus away from Lily, or two, to do that odd mind thing in which he could see Nessie's thoughts in memories. He wasn't quite sure of how he could get Nessie into admitting that he was manipulating Severus, other than simply asking, so Severus figured that he would take Nessie home and do the mind thing.

Even as Severus made to stand up, something tickled his heart; at first, he did not recognize it as pre-formulated regret for not just being bold enough to ask, but when he realized it, Severus slowly closed his book and looked up to see Nessie, his beautiful, delicate jaw clenched so tightly half his face was white, and his brilliant eyes glaring fire at Lily, who, Severus saw, was smiling at him.

They had the same eyes, his Nessie and Lily.

Severus's mind hurt; was the reason that he liked Nessie so much because he and Lily had the same eyes? They weren't the same, not exactly—Nessie's eyes were sadder, and seared with mental scars, while Lily's were not-quite-innocent but brighter—but they were the same color and shape and shade. It was eerie; Severus didn't like it. It made his stomach jump into awkward places and his heart drop out through his pelvis, and his lungs get all squeezed up inside his chest.

He didn't like it at all.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Severus sat on his tiny bed, Nessie curled up in a ball at his feet, his small head resting gently on Severus's knee. Severus's long fingers begged to run through Nessie's bright black hair, but he would not let them; he needed to know why Nessie was manipulating him into not being around Lily. So, instead, he poked Nessie awake from his light slumber and looked sternly down into the sleep-muddied green eyes, those same damning eyes that made his heart leap forward and stop all in the same moment, the eyes that haunted his dreams and every waking memory.

"Why don't you like Lily?" Severus asked quickly, before Nessie was completely awake, and his boy's eyes went wide with fright, the thin red lips scrunched together in a painful line.

At first, Severus didn't think Nessie would respond, but after he slowly raised an eyebrow, Nessie swallowed audibly and sat up, leaning forward until his forehead was pressed into Severus's shoulder. Severus comfortably settled his long arms around Nessie's thin waist, and pulled his boy into his lap, crossing his legs Indian-style so that Nessie's small bum was nestled directly up against his groin. He sighed pleasantly and waited for Nessie's response, which was quick in coming, "She's stup'd 'nd she…she…" Nessie leaned back and the look on his face was utterly murderous. "She's try'ng t' t'ke y'u aw'y fr'm me! Y'u're _m'ne_!"

Severus leaned his head forward and the grey paper butterfly adjusted to flutter around both of their heads as Severus pressed his forehead to Nessie's, their lips brushing against one another's as Severus quietly responded, keeping the amusement and mild anger out of his voice; instead, he kept his voice dull. "Yours, Nessie? I agree; however, as much as I am yours, you are twice mine. But Lily will never take me away from you. Is that why you were keeping me away from her?"

Nessie froze, perfect eyes going wide, and his lower jaw dropped down so his mouth formed a perfect 'O'. Severus's own black eyes gleamed with triumph as he ducked his chin to allow his lips to graze along Nessie's, and their eyes met.

Severus dropped into Nessie's mind, and unfamiliar memories surrounded him, a thousand and one things he had never seen.

_Nessie glared furiously at Tobias, and snarled out, "N'b'dy h'rts _my _Sevvie." He stuck his hands out and through Tobias's wrists, and the man screamed; Severus remembered his own recollection of that moment, him and Lily and his mum all looking worriedly at one another, and Severus's own first thought had been concern for Nessie, and then they had all run outside, but only Severus had been witness to seeing Nessie's hands stuck through Tobias's wrists, and only he had been honored enough to receive a kiss, the perfect reward._

_Nessie's mind flooded and Severus could barely keep up: a sworn promise to keep Severus away from Lily, a mild blush of fear that if he kept Severus away from Lily, then wouldn't Severus want to be around Lily _more_, a secret thought that Severus could never know that Nessie wanted a dog, because even if he did have a dog, if he didn't have Severus, then Nessie knew he literally had no reason to live, and Nessie also knew that if Severus ever left him, or if he left Severus because Severus did something to him, then Nessie knew he would just disappear until he was nothing but a speck of white on the whiteboard of life._

_Severus realized that he was everything to Nessie; that if he ever left Nessie, it would literally destroy the boy. And, simultaneously, Severus also realized that if Nessie ever left him, he would also be destroyed; for they were one in two—a single soul separated into two bodies, and it was only together that they were complete. They were everything to one another; if one left, the other would soon follow. Severus knew that if he was ever left alone, without his precious, only Nessie, he wouldn't be able to survive, and he would never be able to breathe on his own again, because it was only Nessie that kept him alive._

_There was a shift in perception, and it all changed; instead of memories, it was just flashes of thoughts—Nessie forlorn in the back of his mind, wondering how Severus could ever want Nessie, and the complete and total submission that Nessie so desperately needed to give to him, and Nessie's own ideal image of himself, on his knees in front of Severus, head in Severus's lap, and the same horror that came along with that thought, and the memories of his Uncle's abuse, and how his only desire, his only _need_, was to have Severus never, ever hurt him like his Uncle had hurt him._

Severus was spat out of Nessie's mind, and he took a deep breath of Nessie's own breath, and as he recollected himself, he separated his own memories and held Nessie's in a precious vase, high above his own pit of memories, and Severus looked up at Nessie's thoughts, captured in the most precious vase in the world, and Severus made sure to keep all he had of Nessie safe, so that he could never lose any part of the most precious thing he had. Severus opened his eyes and met Nessie's bright green gaze, and he allowed his thin lips to curl up into a tiny smile, one of his ones that he reserved for only Nessie.

Nessie looked rather relieved, although Severus didn't quite understand why, and he tilted his chin slightly forward so that his lips were pressed firmly against Severus's, and Nessie smiled.

* * *

Did y'all know that nearly 4000 people have read the first chapter and not continued to the second chapter? That's nuts.  
Anyway, I realized today that I watch way too much CSI: Miami, especially when I can quote Horatio Caine. This story was supposed to be this really light-hearted, happy story about the slight way Severus Snape's life changed from having a constant friend that could not betray him, and that friend would someday turn into Severus's little lover. I swear. That's exactly what this story was intended to be. Bloody hell. However, I like it better this say, and so should you. Because if you don't…well, you're probably going to stop reading. Well, if you do, remember this: "Man, that guy could get Hitler off of probation." Remember that, and think of how irrelevant it is to the story. Think of that, and remember CSI Wolfe, and his wise words. And Hitler. Remember Hitler. Damnit, Hitler sucked. Didn't he? If you don't think Hitler sucked, then _you_ suck. Like Hitler.  
Not reading _Tender Hooks_ makes you suck like Hitler.  
That is so going on my profile page.

**Ch38 Review Responses:  
**-Zandris-: Best of the best? Hot damn, dude. I hope this chapter lives up to those last two. _It damn well better._ Yeah, they were a bit young, but I think that's alright. I even tried to rewrite it in which they didn't 'do the dirty-ish', but it didn't work. Severus is a pervy little bugger, after all. That's damn well, right, _go me_! Thank you for the review!  
BellaPur: He damn well took it! Damn Tobias! Always being such an asshole…bastard. Thank you!  
Jisa: Thank you!!  
melissa Ivory: I'm planning on something wondrous, and if it doesn't work out that way, I'll be kind of pissed off. But I already know how the story is going to end, so it's all good. Thank you!  
Gondegoogoo: *grins* Thank you!  
bluefynx: Thank you, and here's that next chapter.  
-Replacement


	40. Chapter Forty, Psycho

Holy hell! _Forty_ fuckin' chapters! That's ten away from fifty (I'm not retarded; that just struck me as sort of incredible)! I'll make sure to make fifty a momentous occasion, with either a disgustingly long chapter or quite a few chapters in one day. _I swear by the soul of my dog._ The cool dog (Chester), not Caine. _Because Caine has no soul.  
_Also, this chapter marks the start of the bdsm relationship. I know, I know, I know. Severus is only ten, Nessie only eight. Whatever. So…  
**Warning: This chapter marks the beginning of the bdsm relationship.** Mild as it may be, it's still the beginning.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Forty:  
Psycho

_Light thinks it travels faster than anything,  
__but it is wrong. No matter how fast  
__light travels, it finds that the darkness has  
__always got there first, and is waiting for it.  
_-Terry Pratchett

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **October the Thirty-First**

Severus sat in front of the fire in the cell-like sitting room, one hand stroking gently through Nessie's silky hair as his other hand held open a book his mother had just bought him, _Beowulf_. It was about a hero who went to great lengths to prove his great strength—it reminded Severus of what his mother had said about nasty Gryffindors. His hip was hurting, and there was a tiny throb in his right side, but both pains were small enough that Severus was able to push them into the back of his mind and focus instead on the feel of Nessie's hair in his hand, running through his fingers, as soft as the skin between his boy's scars.

After Nessie had stuck his hands through Tobias's wrists, Eileen had taken him to the hospital, where they had been unable to diagnose that there was anything wrong; the only thing they could do for him was stitch up his foot—where he had stepped on a nasty shard of glass—and give him a few pills for the pain. He had been screaming the entire time, Eileen had whispered fiercely to Severus later, and had never stopped yelling that someone had put ice in his wrists and it was eating away at his bones. The people at the hospital had even offered to do an X-ray, but as Tobias didn't quite know what that was and therefore didn't trust it, he violently disagreed and instead demanded that they fix him, which they had been unable to, as no one could find anything wrong. A doctor that had looked him over had quietly declared the pain to be completely psychosomatic; Nessie had thrown Severus a secret, quiet smile the moment that Severus had murmured that psychosomatic meant it was all in his head.

Eileen had then told Severus to stay at home and only leave to play with Lily and Petunia, and not for any other reason, and then she had made sure there was a decent amount of food left in the house before rushing back to the hospital. Lily and Tuney came over ten minutes after she had left, and that had all been just over a month ago. Tobias was back from the hospital, using a cane to walk, and was in the worst mood Severus had ever seen. He was taking full advantage of the cane—using it to beat Severus and Eileen senseless, and all of Nessie's attempts to make him stop had been useless. But Tobias had finally gone back to work at the mill, and Eileen had left to go get groceries for the first time in nearly a month, and Severus was alone with his Nessie for the first time in nine days. He hadn't really had a chance to finish up his conversation with Nessie about Lily; just a few side notes here and there, and Nessie was no longer attempting to manipulate Severus.

Instead, whenever Nessie thought that Severus was spending too much time around Lily, he would throw Severus a telling look or say so, and Severus couldn't even describe how much that meant to him. Not only was it a show of trust, but also of caring; it made Severus feel cared for, like he never had before, and he wanted to show Nessie that same level of love. So, instead of focusing on himself, Severus strode to give everything of himself to Nessie, which was showing to be much easier than he had expected.

Severus had smoothly showed Nessie his place in their relationship, how Nessie was pointedly lower than him, how his job was to cater to Severus, and in turn, Severus would keep him safe, love him, and care for him as well, and with their partnership, no harm would come to either of them, and they would both never leave one another, because without the other, both were incomplete. Severus was only half without Nessie; Nessie was only half without Severus, but together, they were one.

However, Severus did know that Nessie had crossed the line by manipulating him into not being around Lily, and something deep inside of him knew that Nessie needed to be punished. Especially since his Nessie was slowly realizing that he belonged to Severus, not the other way around—but that wasn't quite right, was it? No, Severus was Nessie's, but Nessie was _Severus's_; it was different. Although it made Severus feel kind of queasy inside, he knew he had to punish Nessie.

Severus's hand stopped in Nessie's hair and he slowly closed his book and set it to the side. Cautiously, he pushed himself to his feet and looked blandly down at Nessie, who meekly met his gaze. "Follow me," Severus murmured, and limped upstairs, feeling Nessie float silently behind him.

They were up in his room in a few short moments; Severus painfully settled himself on the end of his bed, curiously watching Nessie as his boy floated nervously in front of him. For a few long moments, Severus did not move, not to speak, nor barely to breathe, and then, "Nessie." _My love_, he wanted to add, but stopped himself. "Let me ask you a question."

Nessie nodded quickly.

Severus paused for a long moment to collect his thoughts; as he did, Nessie unknowingly descended until he was floating a bare half-inch above the ground, sitting at Severus's feet; he wanted to rest his cheek on Severus's knee but restrained himself. "Do you think you need to be punished for keeping me away from Lily?" Before Nessie could respond, Severus's fists clenched as he bit out, "For _manipulating_ me?"

Nessie's automatic response was a violent _No!_, but as he thought about it, and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, he slowly nodded, eyes going wide with unintentional fear. Because, honestly, punishment—even just the word sent flushes of horror down Nessie's spine—was never something that Nessie wanted, but he knew he deserved it. Nessie peeked up at Severus through his lashes and nervously held out a small, fine-boned hand to rest upon Severus's own hand, where the long fingers wrapped comfortingly around his own; "D'n't h'rt me?" Nessie whispered, with only an inch of hope, and Severus's free hand lifted to cradle Nessie's cheek and brush one long thumb against Nessie's scarred cheekbone.

"Tell me what you did."

Nessie gulped but leaned his head fully into Severus's hand, restraining himself from pressing a brief kiss to Severus's palm as his mind raced. Slowly, as Nessie's thoughts formulated, he replied, "I man'pul't'd y'u, Sevvie, t' k'ep y'u fr'm L'ly, b'c'use I d'dn't l'ke her. T' k'ep y'u…m'ne." Bright green eyes nervously searched Severus's own black eyes, and seemed to find what he was looking for, as Nessie wilted fully forward, chest relaxing into Severus's knees and shins. "I k'pt s'cr'ts wh'n I sh'uldn't h've…I d'dn't b'li've th't y'u re'lly l'ved me…" Severus's eyes immediately flickered to the happily fluttering butterfly still flying around Nessie's head and he breathed a mental sigh of relief. "I d'dn't trust y'u!" Nessie exclaimed finally, eyes as wide and as round as ping-pong balls, and Severus nodded, mind flashing with thoughts.

There was absolutely no way he could punish Nessie physically. A physical punishment had to be for only the most severe of crimes, Severus reasoned—touching someone else, perhaps, or letting someone else see him naked, or allowing someone else to touch him—and Severus did truly hope that he would never have to implement such punishment. Instead, Severus knew, the punishment had to be mental. As he stared down at Nessie's perfect, beautiful face, his own thumb caught his eye; the long digit stroked Nessie's cheekbone and Severus stumbled across the perfect punishment. It would be pain for both of them, Severus knew, but he, perhaps, also needed to be punished, if only because he had allowed Nessie's disobedience to go on for so long.

Severus lightly cleared his throat and met Nessie's gaze with a small nod. "Good boy, Nessie," he murmured, and, leaning forward, brushed a kiss over his boy's forehead. His dropped his hand away from Nessie's face and sat up straight, keeping his shoulders back and removing his hand from Nessie's and piling them in his lap. "Your punishment is…you may not touch me for one entire day. Twenty-four hours. I will not touch you; any touch is…any touch between the two of us for the next day means one more hour without contact per touch." Nessie's eyes were as wide as saucers; slowly, Severus's boy floated back from Severus and clenched his hands together. "Why am I doing this, Nessie?"

"B'c'use I w's b'd," Nessie whispered so quietly he was nearly inaudible, and he would not meet Severus's gaze.

"No," Severus immediately overruled, and the wide green eyes flashed to latch on directly to Severus's face. "It is because I love you."

Nessie's entire face brightened, and he flushed beautifully. Severus held in his tiny smirk and would not allow himself to console himself by holding Nessie tight all night. Instead, he motioned for Nessie to lie down on the floor, and he squeezed his eyes shut to try and make Nessie warmer. His magic bubbled up inside of Severus's gut, and felt like it was spilling out from his insides; Nessie gasped just a moment later and Severus's eyes flashed open to see his boy covered in a shroud of deep orange light, the color of the sun.

"Good boy, Nessie," Severus murmured, and curled up in his own bed, Nessie eye level with him, and Severus fell asleep to the sound of his boy wrapped in the warmth of his own magic.

* * *

A note on the bdsm relationship in this story: any punishment for Nessie will remain largely non-physical, for reasons that I sincerely hope you can imagine. However, any physical punishment will not be as severe as anything Vernon inflicted on Harry, I promise. I will also post warnings at the beginning of each chapter that contains punishment of any type, for you weaker-minded folks. Anyway, yeah, thank you all!

**Ch39 Review Responses:  
**Jisa: Always my lovely first chapter reviewer! Here, I dance for you: *dances* Thank you!!  
Gondegoogoo: Thank you!!  
BellaPur: *gasps* you _didn't_… You didn't just misspell the Nazi salute, did you!? Why, yes, yes, you did. Oh, gosh. Anyway, my back is pretty much alright, _besides living in agony_, and you really like my story? Oh, giggles. Yeah, Hitler sucked; and thank you a bunch!  
crazylove4MCR: Thank you!! (btw, do you mean My Chemical Romance in your name-thing? Because I see that acronym all over the place and I have almost no idea what it means)  
melissa Ivory: Yeah, I'm pretty pleased to not be paralyzed. And, yeah, it's building up something…I'd say it, but then _I'll be sued_. By my imagination. I'm really hoping you saw the South Park Imaginationland episodes, otherwise I'll look like a total idiot. Anyway, I kind of knew what the end was going to be before I even started writing the story. It struck me, and I'm working backwards from there. In fact, _I know exactly how this story is going to play out_. Except for the parts that change. I have no idea what those parts are. But other than that, I'm pretty good. Thank you!!  
bluefynx: Thank you! Yeah, it's gonna be great. They're so _cute_, I just can't stand it! *creepy grin*  
Kanberry: Hearts! Thank you! Your review made me happy.  
Dreams-of-Mine: You love^10 this? Holy hell; that's a lot of love. Actually, that's too much love. You're hot damn welcome and thank _you_. Oh, I don't know if I can eat that many cookies…how many pools? Like, just two? Because that's still a lot of cookies… *grin*  
-Replacement


	41. Chapter Fortyone, Source

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Forty-One:  
Source

_Cupcakes for dessert,  
__not deserters.  
_-A Softer World, Comic 412  
(mouseover text)

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **November First**

Nessie had made scrupulously sure not even to brush up against Severus for the entire day; not a single touch, not a single breath shared, not a single second of the usual closeness the two of them shared. Nessie had felt the loss, and deeply. But it was only five minutes until he was allowed to touch Severus again—Severus had quietly announced it just a moment ago—and Nessie was planning on apologizing a thousand times over and a thousand times again and then trying to get as many kisses as he could before Severus went to sleep.

Unbeknownst to Nessie, Severus was silently counting down the seconds until he was allowed to yank Nessie into his arms and hold the boy so tightly that his eyes bugged out and kiss him so hard that his lips bled from the pressure. It had been a long twenty-four hours. Severus squeezed his eyes shut for the last long seconds, and he gasped loudly the very second that the twenty-four hours were up, eyes flashing open, and Severus nearly fell off his small bed in his need to have Nessie in his arms. Then, they were together, flesh on flesh, and Nessie was gasping out apologies, head buried in Severus's neck, and Severus felt his entire body wilt with relief, because the past day had been one of the worst in his life—a self-imposed punishment, to pain both of them, and it had worked far beyond anything that Severus had wished for it—and he clutched his boy to him, holding on as tightly as he was able.

Severus ran his hands up and down his Nessie's back, holding his boy close with his forearms, and he peppered kisses into Nessie's wild black hair, twisting his legs around Nessie's shorter ones, their pelvises pressed tight enough together to bruise bone. Severus gasped out Nessie's name and his boy's head tilted back, and Severus slammed their mouths together, the butterfly correcting its path to flutter around both of their heads, the tips of the grey paper wings brushing up against Severus's thick locks and causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. He shuddered into Nessie's mouth, prying open his boy's thin red lips and mapping out the familiar territory with his tongue, one of those all-too-precious tongue kisses that Severus could not help but to savor with everything he had.

Nessie tasted like sweetness, like sorrow and apologies, like the soot of a fire made from dreams, and Severus found himself immediately addicted, threading through the tastes to find the one that was purely Nessie—in the depths of him, his boy tasted like a sharp, sweet candy, tucked up into the pocket of Severus's mouth, something he could save until later and then savor. His boy was as beautiful as the sun, and his teeth grated like the sight of that selfsame fireball in the sky, and his scarred tongue fluttered like clouds against Severus's own. Severus caught his breath, feeling Nessie still on his tongue as he kept their lips pressed together, sharing breaths between them, and between them, Nessie rasped, "S'rry, Sevvie," and Severus couldn't help but to smile, because his boy was so _beautiful_ and _poetic_ that he seemed like he never actually existed.

Severus nodded, pressed another brief kiss to Nessie's perfect lips, and he whispered in return, "I love you."

Nessie visibly brightened, and murmured in return, "I l've y'u, t'o, Sevvie," and Severus's stomach clenched as he soared.

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **November the Second**

Nessie's entire body was bubbling with excited pleasure as he darted down the stairs after Severus; today, they were going to the bookstore! Just him and Severus, and Eileen had given Severus a _whole_ bunch of money to get himself books, and Severus had promised to get Nessie his first ever book! Nessie hadn't _ever_ owned a book himself before, and Severus had promised it would be something that they could both read, something that Severus could read to Nessie and Nessie could read, in turn, to Severus.

Severus had taught Nessie to read, and he still wasn't the best at it, but Nessie knew that if he had a brand-new book of his very own, he'd probably never stop reading, just like Severus. Nessie darted over, to where Severus was reassuring his mother that he still had the money, and _no_, he was not going to lose it, and he met Severus's smile with his own wider, brighter one, and Nessie twirled over to Severus, slipping one of his small hands into Severus's larger one, feeling the strong digits grasp firmly around his own and give him a voiceless promise that Severus would never let go.

Nessie rested his cheek against Severus's shoulder as he watched Severus's features in Eileen's face carefully explain that they were to be back by sundown, and Severus had better not come back with any more than three books, and at least one of them had better be a Muggle book. Severus threw Nessie an amused glance and after a quick nod to his mother, he pulled Nessie outside and spun Nessie away from him, watching as Nessie's head fell back and he laughed loudly, a bright twinkling melody that burned a glittering fire through Severus's veins. He allowed a tiny, almost non-existent smile to crease the corners of his eyes and brighten his black gaze.

Merlin, he loved his little boy. Severus's entire body burned with the thought of living without Nessie; how could he live a life without his precious boy when he had already begun a life _with_ him? In fact, he had lived with Nessie for exactly four years yesterday; Severus lowly called out Nessie's name and his boy darted back over to him, bright green eyes—the eyes that were the same color and shape and shade as Lily's; the thought made Severus's gut twist queerly, and he didn't like it at all—glittering happily, fine-boned hands fluttering anxiously in the air.

"Sevvie?" Nessie queried, and spun a complete circle around Severus before he seemed to be content with just lazily floating next to Severus as the older boy limped slightly down the cracked sidewalk; they passed houses, houses of all sizes and shapes, houses that held loving families of four or five and one or two dogs; tiny, cramped homes with a single parent and one too many children; homes with windows for eyes and a woman constantly craning her neck to see what was happening next door, and her piercing eyes glaring furiously at Severus as he made his way past; houses in which the windows were frost-bitten from the cold November nights and the people inside made due with blankets and heavy sweaters; houses in which Severus could see himself and Nessie living in some day, and although he wanted to keep it his own secret, with a dog or two lying contentedly at their feet. Severus knew that Nessie wanted to keep his desire for a dog a secret, so he did not dare mention it; however, Severus swore to himself that once he had enough money and they were both out of school, the first thing he would do would be to go out and buy his Nessie the perfect dog, because if there was anything he wanted for his precious boy, it was for Nessie to be as happy as possible, just as long as Severus remained in that happy picture.

"What kind of book do you think you're going to get, Nessie?"

Nessie brightened immediately and exclaimed, "A b'ok on d'—" Severus's perfect boy froze up and his jaw tightened dangerously; Nessie shook his head as Severus's own quirked gently to the side, and Nessie whispered, "N'thing," and, desolate, floated next to Severus as he limped assuredly the next mile to the bookstore, something in the air around both of them that made Severus feel itchy inside. So, instead of saying anything, Severus simply reached out and took Nessie's hand, intertwining their fingers, and when Nessie paused to blush fiercely, Severus tugged the other boy behind him, victorious in his glee.

* * *

I just realized…this story is going to be well over a hundred chapters. _Well_ over. It might even enter the fated _two-hundred_ zone. If I got to three hundred chapters, do you think I would get some kind of award? Hell, if I make it past three hundred chapters, I'll…make myself a damned award. _Because that's just how awesome I truly am_. Or I'll just have to get the Harry from _He Onward Came_ to make me the award, because he just loves making awards for people.

**Ch40 Review Responses:  
**crazylove4MCR: Yeah, the only song I've heard of theirs was from _Watchmen_, so I don't know if they're good or not, but then again, I'm a country freak and their music was more…well, it's not what I listen to. Whoa, tangent. Anyway, thank you!  
Kanberry: *snatches hearts* Thank you!  
BellaPur: Hold on. *researches, while looking impressively studious* Oh, I guess I was wrong. But it's only a guess. After all, Google _has been wrong before_. However, I thank you and I have already stored all of the cybercookies, because that's what friends are for. Thank you!  
Dreams-of-Mine: So…much…love…ack. *chokes on the ^10 love* Oh, preservation charms? Whew. I was really worried about having to deal with a ton of horrifying rotting cookies just sitting in my bathroom, and I didn't want to have to deal with that, so you have _saved me_. *hugs in return, unless you're a rapist, because I don't hug rapists* Thanks a ton! Of cookies! (they're made with baby hearts; the most delicious kind of heart!)  
melissa Ivory: Oh, you better be interested. I can incorporate even the most obscure tidbit of South Park into _anything_; don't you even _worry_. You've done bdsm with one of your partners? I am impressed. I've done so much research on it that I sometimes feel like I've been in a bdsm relationship, but I really haven't been. Also, I have friends who were in bdsm relationships, but if you notice anything that seems kind of iffy, or whatnot, _please_ tell me. I would so greatly appreciate it that you can't even imagine the amount of appreciation I would have. However, I thank you, for not only saying that my bdsm tale is safe, but for reading and reviewing!  
Wildfury: *deadpan* Thanks  
-Replacement


	42. Chapter Fortytwo, Man in Can

I'm going to start replying to review responses using the private response thingy (which I literally just found out about) on chapter 51. Unless someone doesn't want me to do that, so just let me know.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Forty-Two:  
Man In Can

_Let loose the hounds of war,  
__The whirling swords!  
__Send them leaping afar,  
__Red in their thirst for war;  
_-War-Song of the Vikings

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **November the Second  
****Bookstore**

Severus Snape hit his heels against the front of the comfortable armchair chair he was sitting in, two books in his lap and a third in his hands. Nessie had blushingly asked for a book called _Where the Red Fern Grows_ by Wilson Rawls and Severus was curiously looking it over, knowing that he would buy any book for his precious boy, but he just wanted to know what the book was about. Nessie floated just in front of Severus, hands twisted into a pile at his hips, and as wide green eyes glanced from the faded colorful cover of a boy and his two dogs, Nessie nervously smiled to himself and hoped desperately that Severus wouldn't find out the real reason he wanted the book: just for a moment, he wanted to feel like he owned a dog of his very own and he hoped that the book Severus was riffling through would fill the soul-deep ache in his chest that he could only surmise came from not having a dog of his very own.

Nessie knew it was selfish, to want to love something other than Severus, but he also knew that he didn't have a choice. It was agonizing, to not have a dog, and Nessie knew he could only hope that Severus would never find out, because he quite honestly did not know what Severus would do. He had his suspicions—Severus would throw him out, never look at him again, realize that Nessie was worthless, and Severus would never love him again.

And what Nessie did know, is if he ever did manage to acquire a dog, then he knew, he just _knew_, that he would want the dog to do sick, horrific things to him, the kind of things that some part of him wanted only Severus to do to him, things like the tongue kisses and even the sorts of things that his Uncle had done to him—but so much nicer and sweeter and lovelier—and Nessie was horrified of that fact. So Nessie would simply have to live with attempting to fill in the emptiness encasing his chest with books and stories and some sort of wayward hope, and he would have to be content with that.

Severus stood up, leaving one of the books he had chosen abandoned on the chair, and he clutched the book he had decided on—_Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse_—to his chest, ignoring the way it felt almost greasy and slippery in his grasp, like someone had read it caringly over a potions caldron, and he smiled at Nessie and held out his hand. Nessie clutched his grasp like the last breath of a drowning man, and Severus leaned over and pressed a quick, heartfelt kiss to Nessie's wild, bright black hair, and he murmured, so softly Nessie could barely hear him, that he loved his precious boy with all he had.

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
**Date: **November the Twentieth  
****Severus's Bedroom**

Nessie blinked quickly to remove the tears from his eyes as Severus quietly finished reading out-loud _Where the Red Fern Grows_, and he dropped his gaze to his lap, where his hands were nervously twitching. "Oh, Nessie," Severus whispered, and there was a tiny thump as he dropped the hard-back book to the floor as he pushed to his feet. Nessie looked up nervously and then darted in Severus's arms when the older boy outstretched them for a hug.

"Nessie," Severus repeated, lips moving roughly against Nessie's neck, "I know."

"Kn'w wh't?" Nessie whispered, stiffening against Severus, voice hoarse with fear. Severus couldn't know, could he? He couldn't know how desperately, how _dangerously_ Nessie wanted a dog! It would be agony, if Severus knew, and was drawing out his rejection, his toss-out of Nessie. Nessie ached inside, a hole expanding in his chest; if Severus left him, he had no idea of what to do with himself—he was nothing without Severus. "D'n't l'ave me!" Nessie begged, squeezing his eyes shut, tears creeping past his lids without his consent.

Severus pulled away, hands dropping down to comfortingly clench Nessie's protruding hipbones. Nessie's bright eyes peeled open; smallish black eyes worriedly searched agonized green, and Severus hissed, "_Leave_ you? Whatever makes you think I would do that?"

Nessie gasped loudly and tore away from Severus, stomping his foot and clenching his fists at his hips. "I w'nt a d'g 'nd I kn'w y'u w'uldn't ev'r g't me on'! Y'u'll l'ave me! D'n't l'ave me, ple'se!" Nessie took a deep breath, as if to continue, but Severus stopped him with a deep kiss, yanking the other boy forward and wrapping his arms around the too-thin frame.

All Severus did was keep his lips pressed fully to Nessie's, but he could feel Nessie tense and then relax completely, melting into Severus's grasp.

Then Severus pulled away, and Nessie was gone.

* * *

The book Severus bought wasn't published until 1991, but it was the only book I owned on male sexual abuse in childhood (yes, I really do own it, it is hiding somewhere in my room) that wasn't published in, like, 2006 or something like that. And, anyways, if it wasn't clear, the book wasn't from 1970; I guess you could say the book travelled back in time. More will be explained on that later. Much later. Like, in 1991-story-time. Next chapter will be dedicated to the reviewer that can guess how it got back there.  
_Tender Hooks_ has just over 100 alerts! Nice going, guys!  
Also, to anyone who is worried: there will be absolutely no bestiality in this fic. None. Nessie is just being Nessie, and although it is a real fear of his, I swear it will not come to pass. Oh, hey.

**Ch42 Review Responses:  
**Dreams-of-Mine: Yeah, rapists piss me off. If I ever hug one, I'll be really pissed. Greatest drink on…_Olympus_!? Why, it must be the greatest drink ever drank! _Ever_! Anyway, thank you!  
melissa Ivory: Totally. I don't really remember what we were talking about—I think it was bdsm relationships and safety—but I'm agreeing with you anyway. Yeah, the length is going to be nuts. Thank you, and good night! *feels like an announcer person*  
BellaPur: You know what? I'm really going to try to make this at least 300 chapters. I promise. Thank you!  
crazylove4MCR: Eeeee! Thank you! Yeah, 300 chapters is a lot of chapters, but it's my goal. Yeah, I'm kind of irrational about my love of country, so I'm pleased that you didn't exclaim wildly about how awesome My Chemical Romance is, because that seriously makes me itchy. When people tell me that country sucks, and how good their stuff is. Not MCR. I don't care what music you listen to—hey, man, you like it, congratulations, here's a quarter—but don't insult my tunes, lady! Whoa, off topic. Anyway, thanks a bunch!  
StoryofGreen: New reviewer! Here, have a quarter! It's made of ions! Your review made me dance a little dance of glee. If you want to know if Nessie will get his dog or not, _I guess you'll just have to keep on reading_. Another award maker! You all just are leaping out at me from the depths of the internets! Holy hell! I must run, so thanks a ton, and you're awesome!  
severussgurl: Thank you! And here's another chapter for ya.  
W.: If I were more sentimental, I would tell you I love you. But that would be awkward, and you're already showing stalker-like symptoms, so I'll just pretend that I didn't just write that. Also, I like my spirit, so I think I'm going to keep it, because it makes me giggle inside, like llamas. I love my impression of Severus, too. He makes me sigh dreamily. _And yes, this will be a goddamn mother-fucking marathon._ But not one of those tedious, mind-numbing marathons. It will be a marathon of delight! Ha, okay. Thank you!!  
Jisa: Aaaaaaaaaaah! Thank you!!  
RayShippouUchiha: A single sitting? You mean you didn't even move out of your seat? Impressed, I am! *claims the cool point* I am now one cool point cooler! That makes me almost 100 cool points! _I am so…CLOSE…_ *gasps weakly* Ahem. Anyway. Thank you!!!!!  
-Replacement

Holy shit. Just look at all those words.


	43. Chapter Fortythree, Okay

This chapter is dedicated to _THE mlb_, for her (his?) beautifully deadpan correct guess. Also, I would dedicate it to BellaPur for her (his?) quote: 'flash of inspiration' endquote, but she (he?) sent it—sigh—after THE mlb did. So, I give a pardon of thanks to BellaPur, but I cannot dedicate a chapter to more than one person.  
So…go _THE mlb_!

_**Tender Hooks  
****By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**_

Chapter Forty-Three:  
Okay

_Well my name's John Lee Pettimore  
Same as my daddy and his daddy before  
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here  
__He only came to town about twice a year  
'Copperhead Road', Steve Earle_

(O.o)  
Year: **1970  
Date: ****November the Twenty-First**

Nessie floated above the fire in the fireplace, tears streaking down his pale cheeks and his hands twisting in his black shirt. He couldn't even remember why he had run off from Severus; he thought it had something to do with a dog, but why would Severus even know in the first place that Nessie wanted a dog? The past day felt all weird and fuzzy to Nessie's mind; but they had been doing so well for the past three weeks! Severus had been reading the most beautiful and loving passages from _The Faerie Queene_ to Nessie that made his heart squeeze and his gut clench and plummet down to his knees.

He should have known. He should have known that Severus would just pretend to not send him away before actually doing it; while Severus was Nessie's entire world, Nessie also knew that Severus wasn't perfect. Nobody was perfect, Nessie knew. He also knew that he couldn't ever go back to Severus, no matter how much he wanted to, because Nessie would just ruin it all over again. He was finding himself to be particularly excellent at destroying things he loved.

Slowly, Nessie lowered himself deeper into the fire, wishing that he could feel the heat and the flames would burn him until he was only ash, because that was the only proper punishment for a useless boy who was only good for making other people want to do nasty, horrifying things to him. He also knew that on the off chance he ever did go back to Severus, the older boy would probably take a bat to him—like his Uncle had done—and break both of Nessie's legs so he couldn't ever run away again.

Nessie took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut, like he had so many times before. However, this time, when he opened his eyes, Severus was standing in front of the fire, perfect black eyes soft with the reflection of Nessie echoing endlessly.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Nessie sat curled up in Severus's lap, listening to the older boy's deep breathing and Severus's calm, slow heartbeat. He was tired, but could not sleep; Severus had pulled him out of the fire and into his arms, and had explained to Nessie that he knew Nessie wanted a dog, and would never, ever leave Nessie—the entire speech had been a mutual agreement that they would never leave the other, not for anything in the entire world.

Something had clicked deep inside Nessie and he no longer felt any compulsion to just run off and never return; Severus had done that mind-thing between them and Nessie had seen just how devastated and _alone_ Severus was every time he had left, as well as Severus had seen and felt just what Nessie had been feeling, and both of them had finally _understood_.

Nessie took a deep breath and ducked his head under Severus's chin, not seeing the tiny, contended smile crease Severus's thin lips; however, he did feel Severus's grasp tighten minutely around his waist and Nessie curled his delicate hands around Severus's own, intertwining their fingers and, coincidently, their hearts.

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
Date: ****January the Third**

Severus was sitting patiently at the person-and-a-half kitchen table, not entirely sure why Nessie was still upstairs but waiting nonetheless, when something tapped on the kitchen door, scaring Severus enough that he nearly fell out of his chair. He jumped to his feet and whirled around, frowning at the hovering owl with a letter attached to its leg…Hogwarts letter! It had to be! His mum had told him about this day a hundred times, and Severus had dreamed about it for years!

Severus opened the screen door and the owl flew in, landing on the table and holding out its leg for Severus to untie the letter. Fingers trembling, Severus complied, feeling the thick, creamy envelope slide against his fingers as the owl jumped up and flew back outside without waiting for any type of payment; from behind Severus, Nessie's kind voice softly queried, "Wh't's th't, Sevvie?"

Severus whirled around, a thin smile creasing his gaunt face, and he waved the unopened letter in Nessie's face. "My Hogwarts letter!" Finally, he would be able to get out of this horrible house, get away from his father—his right thigh still hurt from being stabbed with that broken glass bottle—get away from these stupid Muggles and _finally_ learn magic, _real_ magic, not just silly tricks like what Lily could do.

Severus cautiously made his way to the cramped sitting room, Nessie shadowing behind him; and he knelt in front of the fireplace, not looking up from the Hogwarts envelope. He cautiously opened the flap, ogling the thick crimson wax seal for a long moment, and then pulled out the thick sheaves of paper, looking down at the first one, emblazoned with the Hogwarts seal.

_Mr. Severus Snape  
__Smallest Bedroom  
__Spinner's End  
__Mill Town, Tyne and Wear_

_Dear Mr. Snape,  
__We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
__Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall_

_Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

There were also two thick pieces of paper that listed everything Severus would need to bring with him—cloaks, protective gloves, books, a _wand_, a telescope and a set of scales, and he could bring an owl or a toad or a cat!—and he just hoped that his mum had enough money to buy everything for him so he wouldn't have to look like a poor freak in front of all of Hogwarts. Severus had already had the entire House explanation given to him, and he knew that he was going to be in Slytherin. There wasn't any other choice. Severus knew he was a Slytherin through and through, and he was better than everyone else for that.

Severus lifted his chin slightly and met Nessie's bright green gaze. He smiled.

* * *

I just realized, Nessie has run off from Severus a lot (or just once before). I swear, that will pretty much end after this chapter. There's just something that these two need to get out in the air and off their chests, and things like that don't just randomly happen; they need _incentive._ And Nessie running off and then painfully returning is just that incentive. Like this chapter! _It's all incentive._ To go off and watch _CSI: Miami_! That's the entire point of this story, y'know, to get more people watching the greatest show on television.  
Goddamnit, I love that show.  
Also: 200 reviews! Win!  
Also also: I know that Hogwarts students who live in Muggle households (which I believe Severus would be classified as) receive their letters first through Muggle mail, but I decided that's not quite exciting enough, so I didn't do it. So no mentioning that.

**Ch42 Review Responses:  
BellaPur: Ha, no, Dumbledore didn't send the book.  
melissa Ivory: Exactly. The previous chapter was so a filler chapter that I'm surprised more people have screamed at me because of it. Thank you!  
crazylove4MCR: Here's that update! Thanks!  
cyiusblack: Here ya go  
Gondegoogoo: Ah, yes! He has returned! Success!  
THE mlb: Right-io, my friend. Have this chapter and keep it close.  
Echo Norfleet: The best, you claim? And, yes, it will most certainly reach near or over 300 chapters, I'm hoping. Thank you!  
Dreams-of-Mine: Yeah, I can't think of anything better than cookies and ambrosia…maybe paid-for vet bills? That would be awesome. Sigh. Thank you!  
Wildfury: Thanks  
severussgrl: *screams* Oh, sorry, you scared me. Thank you!  
-Replacement**


	44. Chapter Fortyfour, Audubon

Some of this chapter was taken from DH, so I own absolutely none of that.  
Okay, a lot of this chapter was taken from DH. I still own none of it.  
And some of it is out of order of what it is in the book.

_**Tender Hooks  
****By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**_

Chapter Forty-Four:  
Audubon

_I don't know anything.  
-Gale Beggy, CollegeHumorTV_

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
Date: ****May the Twentieth**

Severus and Lily walked next to one another through a small thicket of trees near the Mill River, both of them examining Lily's acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Severus hadn't seen any discernable difference between his letter and hers, but it was still exciting. "Has Tuney gotten one yet?"

Lily shook her head and Severus felt nastily victorious. "She's too old, Sev." Bright green eyes, so similar to Nessie's, landed softly on Severus's face. "Did McGonagall write yours, too?"

Thin lips twisted and Severus pulled his worn and creased acceptance letter out of an inner pocket of his overlarge coat. Although he had long ago memorized every letter and every tilt and whirl, he still felt a gleeful, triumphant tingle in his chest whenever he looked at it. "Yes," he responded slowly, running the tips of his fingers over the faded emerald ink.

Lily sat in a basin of cool green shade, the Mill River sparkling brightly through the trees, and Severus sat near her, resting his back against a wide trunk of an old sweeping tree. Severus cautiously tucked his acceptance letter back into the inner pocket of his coat.

"Are there any rules?" Lily asked slowly, peering up through her fallen-forward red hair with bright green eyes.

Recalling what his mum had told him about Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, Severus slowly relayed what she had said, talking about no magic outside of Hogwarts while someone was underage, "and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters."

"But I've done magic outside school!" Lily protested, and peered reflexively up at the sky, as if a Ministry owl was going to duck out of the tree line and tell her she wasn't able to go to Hogwarts.

"We're all right," Severus reassured, and he lifted his head to see if he could find Nessie, but the other boy was nowhere in sight. "We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But when you're eleven," he nodded importantly, "and they start training you, then you've got to go careful." He fell silent, examining the bright green eyes that were near exact copies of Nessie's. He wanted Nessie here, now, and felt queerly abandoned without the younger boy near him.

Lily picked up a stick and twirled it up in the air. She snatched it out of the air and then dropped it to the ground; Severus picked it up and snapped it in half. "It _is_ real, isn't it? It's not a joke? Petunia says you're lying to me. Petunia says there isn't a Hogwarts. It is real, isn't it?"

Severus frowned at her, but then his face softened slightly when their eyes met. "It's real for us," he pressed, and leaned his head back to look at the leaves.

"Why didn't it come by owl?"

"It normally does," Severus explained, dropping his chin down to his chest. _His_ acceptance letter had come by owl; he hadn't told Lily that. "But you're Muggle-born, so that's why someone from the school came to explain to your parents."

Lily paused and took a deep breath, like she was readying herself. "Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"

Severus kind of wanted to say yes, to explain to her what she would be facing, the ridicule and the mockery, but he decided against it. "No," he replied cautiously, "it doesn't make any difference."

Lily relaxed, throwing Severus a nervous smile. "Good." She lay back in the leaves, staring up at the blue sky, cut into sections by the leaves above them.

"You've got loads of magic," Severus said. "I saw that. All the time I was watching you…" He trailed off, peering around for Nessie. Where was he? They had left the house together, but once Lily had met up with them, he had disappeared. Severus was sure he hadn't done anything wrong…he found his eyes on Lily, and examined her pretty face. Yes, she was pretty, but Severus didn't feel any sort of emotion towards her, nothing other than friendship, nothing like what he felt for Nessie. What he felt for Nessie was powerful, all-consuming, and being somewhere without Nessie was like trying to stand on his hands without having any hands.

"How are things at your house?" Lily asked cautiously; although she did not see, Nessie appeared next to Severus and bright green eyes narrowed suspiciously at her open face. Severus tilted his head and began to smile at Nessie, but he stopped himself once he heard Lily's question.

A little crease appeared between Severus's eyes. "Fine," he bit out, and would not meet Lily's gaze when she tried to catch it. He allowed Nessie to float closer but did not take the younger boy's outstretched hand.

"They're not arguing anymore?"

Nessie felt weird. Lily was _too_ curious, he felt, just for a friend. And what right did she have to know what nasty Tobias and Eileen did to his Sevvie? Or what they argued about? Just because their screams sometimes kept Nessie and Severus awake at night or just because Tobias sometimes said things to Severus that the other boy was starting to believe as true, even though Eileen had often told him that because he had Prince blood in him, he was better than any other person out there. Nessie settled himself comfortably just next to Severus, floating a bare inch above the ground, and he artfully examined Lily's pretty face. He was right, she was much too curious just for a friend. There was something in her gaze, something deeper; Nessie swore, that if Lily tried _anything_, he would make her pay so dearly that she would never even want to think about Severus ever again. Severus was _his_.

"Oh, yes, they're arguing." There was an awkward pause as Severus picked up a fist of leaves and slowly began tearing them apart, apparently unaware of what he was doing. "But it won't be that long and I'll be gone." _And so will Nessie_, he added mentally, and tilted his head up to look at Nessie's delicate, scarred features. They would both be gone, and neither of them would ever have to deal with his parents ever again.

"Doesn't your dad like magic?"

Nessie felt Severus tense and he dropped a small hand to rest on Severus's knee. "He doesn't like anything, much," Severus replied woodenly, and clasped a cold hand to Nessie's own, holding on as if it were his last choice.

Lily's grass green gaze landed on his hand and although she could not see Nessie's grasp, a weird flicker of jealousy flared in her chest and she couldn't fathom why. "Severus?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about the Dementors again."

(O.o)  
Year: **1968  
Date: ****May the Third**

Severus peered through the bushes, watching Lily and Petunia as they swung on the swings. Petunia was shrieking about Lily going too high on the swings; next to Severus, Nessie looked curiously at the two girls, bright green eyes wide. Suddenly, Lily leapt off the swing, landing neatly on her feet, her touch against the tiny stones much too light to be natural. For a long moment, Severus found himself rather jealous, but the moment passed when his gaze naturally turned back to make sure Nessie was still there. Why would he find a girl pretty when he had Nessie? Severus smiled to himself and turned back to stare at the girls.

"Mummy told you not to!" the uglier of the two girls screeched, and Nessie visibly winced, darting back to stand comfortingly next to Severus. Severus had been watching them for long enough that he knew that the prettier of the two girls was named Lily, while the elder and more unattractive of the two girls was Petunia, although Lily called her Tuney.

Petunia slammed to a halt, dragging her heels in the sandy rocks, and swung forward before carefully getting off the swing and marching over to Lily, hands on her hips. "Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"

Lily tilted her head back, giggling at Petunia. "But I'm fine," she explained happily. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do." She snatched a flower from the bush Severus was hiding behind, and waited impatiently for Petunia to look around and then slowly make her way over.

Petunia peered down her nose at Lily's hand, and Severus watched curiously as Lily opened her grasp, wondering if she had turned the flower into dust or turned it into a spider, as he would have tried to do. No, instead, as Severus saw, the flower was turning around in her palm, the petals opening and closing like a dancer with too many legs.

"Stop it!" Petunia shrieked, and although Lily protested that the flower wasn't hurting her, she threw the blossom to the ground anyway and looked away from it. "It's not right," Petunia stabbed, but her pale eyes had followed the progression of the flower anyway, lingering on it for a long moment before she ripped her gaze back up to Lily. "How'd you do it?" she asked greedily, and Severus nearly grinned, jumping up and darting out of the bushes.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" he asked quickly, tilting his head around look at Nessie. Nessie had told him he was magic-folk and then had said that the Lily girl was also magic, so Severus just wanted to pass the information on. It was purely innocent.

Petunia shrieked and ran backwards to the swings; Nessie frowned and floated past Severus, glaring slightly at the elder Evans girl. There was no way Severus was that scary. Lily started back towards the swings but stopped herself with an obvious effort. Severus couldn't stop himself from flushing at the intent look Lily gave him. Her eyes were somehow familiar…Severus didn't like it. He looked back at Nessie, who was standing just next to Petunia, and smirked slightly.

"What's obvious?" Lily asked slowly.

"I know what you are," Severus replied lowly, looking back at her and those weirdly familiar eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"You're…you're a witch," Severus whispered, and tilted slightly closer to her. Nessie darted over and looked curiously at Lily; something in his eyes brightened and Nessie smirked slightly, lifting his chin.

For some reason, Lily looked insulted. "That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!" Lily twisted around, nose stuck up in the air, and stomped back to Petunia. Nessie shadowed behind her and heard Petunia snicker under her breath.

"No!" Severus yelled, and flapped after them, Nessie turning around and smiling brightly at the other boy. The two sisters both grabbed onto a swing-set pole, regarding Severus, united in their disapproval. Severus turned to Lily, a small breeze forcing his over-large coat to flap comically around his ankles. "You are," Severus implored. "You _are_ a witch. I've been watching you for a while." Two days. "But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard." Severus glanced at Nessie and was given a gift of a bright, pleased grin.

Petunia laughed, the sound like ice freezing Severus's spine. "Wizard!" she screeched. "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy!" She turned to Lily and explained, as if it was bad, "They live down Spinner's End by the river." Pale eyes pinned Severus to the spot. "Why have you been spying on us?"

Severus glared, feeling weirdly insulted. "Haven't been spying," he snapped back, frowning at Petunia. He sneered. "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway. You're a Muggle."

Nessie smirked when it was obvious that Petunia had no idea what no idea what a Muggle was. Petunia showed her teeth and then snapped shrilly, "Lily, come on, we're leaving!" Both sisters shot identical glares at Severus and stalked identically.

Sheer disappointment flashed over Severus's gaunt face and he turned back to Nessie, both of them frowning slightly. "W'll," Nessie tried slowly, and a pained half-smile twisted over his face, "th't didn't w'rk as pl'nn'd."

Severus rolled his black eyes and looked down at the ground, greasy black hair falling in curtains over his face.

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
Date: ****June the Tenth**

Severus sat on a protruding edge over the Mill River, kicking his bare feet back and forth as he looked down at the sunlit water. Nessie lay next to him, curled up on his side and his head in Severus's lap; Severus looked down to see a black collar briefly flash over Nessie's pale neck for a single moment and then disappear, and the older boy froze in pure need. In that minute, Severus wanted nothing more than to have a collar appear out of thin air and have Nessie kneeling at his feet, those small hands willingly placing the collar around his neck.

Then, the moment passed, but the need did not. Severus cautiously pushed to his feet, and abandoning his shoes and socks, wandered off to stare into the pools of shadows gathering at the base of the trees. What was wrong with him? Why did he have such a need to collar Nessie? Why did he want Nessie on his knees, forever and always right in front of him? Why did he have a vision of himself, sitting in front of a hall of students, looking down and seeing Nessie kneeling on a small crimson cushion, his head resting on Severus's lap, bright green eyes locked softly on Severus's face? _Why_? He should be perfectly happy with the way they were, but he _wasn't_.

Severus whipped back around and stalked back to Nessie. The other boy looked up at him and Severus dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around Nessie's shoulders and yanking the smaller boy up against his front. Slowly, he threaded one long-fingered hand through Nessie's wild black hair and pulled Nessie's head back, meeting the wide green eyes.

"I love you," he informed Nessie seriously, and when the green eyes widened even further, he ducked his head forward and pressed their lips together. Nessie's thin lips opened obediently, and he sighed softly into Severus's mouth.

Severus pushed his tongue forward, into Nessie's small mouth, and delicately probed the thick scar tissue of Nessie's mouth, feeling Nessie tremble gently against him; suddenly, there was a sound and Severus threw himself to his feet, throwing Nessie behind him and rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. Petunia and Lily peered around a tree, Lily's green eyes wide.

Severus gnashed his teeth, flashing back to when Petunia had accused him of spying on them. "Who's spying now?" he yelled. "What d'you want?"

Petunia pointed at Severus's chest, baring her teeth at him. Lily's green gaze stayed locked behind Severus, almost on where Nessie was standing, curiously peering over Severus's shoulder. "What is that you're wearing, anyway? Your mum's blouse?"

Nessie frowned, tilting around Severus's form. He floated over to stand next to Lily, peering curiously at Severus's shirt. "I d'n't se' anyth'ng wr'ng w'th it," he said slowly, and floated back over to Severus, wrapping his arms around Severus's waist.

However, Severus's face whitened with rage, and there was a loud crack from above Petunia. A branch fell and hit Petunia on the shoulder; she leapt back and burst into tears. "Tuney!" Lily cried, twirling around; but Petunia ran off, bursting through the trees and the bushes. She rounded furiously on Lily, although there was still something soft in her gaze. "Did you make that happen?"

Of course he did! They had interrupted his perfect kiss with Nessie; there was obviously going to be retribution for doing that. "No," he replied silkily.

"You did!" Lily retreated, and Severus allowed relief to flash over his face. "You did! You hurt her!"

"No—no I didn't!" he protested, lifting his chin defiantly. But Lily threw Severus a final, burning look, and took off after her sister. Severus glared after her, and looked back down at Nessie, but the mood was gone…

Severus lifted his hand and ran the tips of his fingers over Nessie's neck, feeling the cold skin warm slightly under his hand, and Nessie swallowed visibly, leaning his head into Severus's shoulder. They smiled at one another and Nessie tilted his head around to press a brief kiss to Severus's chin.

Severus's smile widened and he tightened his grasp around Nessie's waist, holding on dear life, feeling that if he were to let go, he would drown.

* * *

**Ch43 Review Responses:**

BellaPur: I know, I'm sorry. However, don't blame me for the lateness of that chapter, blame my horse, because he has had a ton of stuff going on (bruised feet, an almost bowed tendon, and being sick as all hell), so, yeah. Not my fault. Blame him and the horridly expensive vet bills I get to pay. Ha, yeah. If only, you claim, but mlb got it first, so she wins. Hoorah! And thank you.  
THE mlb: No, there won't be bestiality in this fic. Not that I really have anything against that in fanfiction (I've read some pretty awesome snake-stuff), but it's just not going to work. And, yes, there will be more bdsm. As I believe you have just read. Anywho, yeah, you've gotten all the awards so far. I bet there are quite a few jealous folks out there…*looks around nervously* Oh, shit, here comes one now! I have to run quickly, so I thank you for your awesomosity and review! Also, I assume the same thing about slash writers, but I figured that it would be safer to guess than to have some nasty emo boy all pissed off at me for thinking he was a girl, even though he looks like a girl and…yeah. Thanks!  
DuShuZhi: Thank you!  
Sinister Blackrose: Time skip? No, not other than the few months here and there. This isn't a story about Harry Potter; it's about Snape. And you'll understand soon enough, I figure. And, yeah, you're nuts. But I thank you!  
-Replacement


	45. Chapter Fortyfive, Aeneid

_**Tender Hooks  
**__******By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**_

Chapter Forty-Five:  
Aeneid

_Stacy's mom has got it goin' on__  
__She's all I want and I've waited for so long__  
__Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me  
'Stacy's Mom', Fountains of Wayne_

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
Date: ****August the First**

Severus checked the sky again, wondering if Lily's owl, which they had sent off two days prior, was going to return to his house or hers. His mum had gone to Diagon Alley to get Lily an owl as a congratulations present for being accepted into Hogwarts, and she was taking them to Diagon Alley _today_ to get their school supplies, and Severus couldn't wait.

He was so excited that even Nessie was excited, even though they weren't sure if Nessie could even go into Diagon Alley; it was not really that Severus was worried, but he had kind of just thought about it and he wasn't quite sure of what his reaction would be if Nessie somehow _couldn't_ go through, and if he wouldn't be able to buy the things he needed for school because Nessie wasn't close, and if Nessie couldn't…couldn't go to Hogwarts, something that Severus resolutely didn't think about, _then_ what would he do? Severus turned slightly and blindly reached out behind him, the tips of his long fingers encountering cool, scarred skin, and Nessie, small and delicate, floated closer, into Severus's arms, tucking his head under Severus's chin.

"Never leave me," Severus roughly ordered in a hoarse whisper, squeezing his eyes shut so tightly that tears collected in the corners, and Nessie nodded, lips pressing hasty kisses to the dirty skin of Severus's neck.

"N'ver," Nessie agreed stanchly, tightening his arms around Severus's waist. He did not have a chance to ask the same thing of Severus, as Lily suddenly burst into the sitting room, bright-eyed and smiling widely.

"Severus! Are you ready?"

Severus ignored her for the moment, ducking his chin to press a brief kiss to Nessie's scarred forehead, and a single, rough press of Nessie's front to his, and then he let go, turning smoothly back around with his lips twisted in a smirk. Lily had forgiven him for dropping that branch on Tuney just a few days after, but Severus hadn't even seen Petunia since then, not that he really cared. Neither he nor Nessie had ever wanted to be friends with the horsey girl anyway; for the two days that they had been watching the girls, Lily seemed a lot more exciting.

But none of that mattered anymore. Severus nodded slowly, tucking Nessie's small hand in his own, and he tilted his chin up as his mum came clattering down the stairs in odd clothes—what were obviously robes, coupled with a tall, pointed hat and clothes beneath that Severus had personally never seen on her before—her familiar sour gaze brightening when she saw Severus and Lily standing together.

She couldn't have chosen someone better for her perfect little son to wed someday.

(O.o)  
**Diagon Alley**

Nessie peered nervously over Severus's shoulder as they walked down the main drag of Diagon Alley, eyes wide and shoulders shaking. This place felt…_right_, like Nessie had been here before or somehow was going to be here. It felt kind of like that book Severus had bought at the bookstore but hadn't let him see it, kind of like Nessie _knew_ what the title was but couldn't find the words in his mind.

The people…Nessie had never been around so many people before, and whenever one of them—all dressed in a thousand different outfits; Nessie knew would never be able to figure out just what these witches and wizards were really supposed to wear—brushed too near he or Severus, Nessie hissed defensively and retreated; Lily kept on doing the same thing whenever a male came too close to her, and Nessie figured that was because of what he and Severus had found Tobias doing to her.

Just thinking about Tobias hurting Lily like that made other things flash up in Nessie's mind, things that he knew he had seen before: a fat man with a large mustache, leering down at him, something poking out from his lap; a horse-faced woman with too much neck lifting a pot filled with boiling water, screeching about that 'awful boy and his freak boyfriend', and Nessie being unable to breathe because of the agony as the water cascaded down his back; someone fat and small lifting a red-hot poker twisted into weird shapes and sticking it all over his body; the knives, their impassionate sharp points drilling holes into him that he would never be able to fill back up; eyes tearing up as the horse-faced woman twisted her lips into a maniac smile and lifted a needle and began threading it through his lips, effectively sewing his mouth shut; feeling himself suddenly fade away, as if his entire world had faded, and standing in front of pure-light beings, listening to their impossible voices telling him of a world he had never realized existed…Nessie recoiled violently, actually shooting through a young, blond man with nice clothes and walking alongside a near-exact copy of himself but quite a few years older.

The young man froze, lips going blue, and Severus glared furiously at Nessie, immediately apologizing; he spouted something about accidental magic and the young man's father lifted his fancy walking stick in tandem with lifting his chin, and frowned mightily down at Severus, but nodded understandingly anyway. The young man gasped and soon returned to his normal pale hue; he looked curiously down at Severus and inclined his head, silver-grey eyes flashing with something that Nessie could not identify with.

"Lucius Malfoy," the young man introduced himself, and then tilted his head up to peer wide-eyed at his father. "This is my father, Abraxas Malfoy."

"How do you do," Severus drawled quickly, eyes flickering nervously between Nessie's stone-still stance behind the men and their obviously high-class positions in society and fancy, expensive clothes. "Severu—"

"Sev!" Lily called nervously, and he twisted his head around, eyes blinking too quickly; Severus darted around the two Malfoy's, snatched Nessie up, and flapped over to Lily, glancing only once back at the two blond-haired men.

Abraxas looked down his nose at the retreating boy, pressed his lips together, and then met his son's curious gaze. "Remember him, Lucius," he ordered stiffly. "He will be important." Lucius nodded to himself, supposing that the greasy-haired boy's name was Severus, but he certainly had no idea of what the boy had been grabbing or what his last name was.

Well, the boy was in Diagon Alley, so Lucius knew he would be going to Hogwarts, and no child that…interesting could be in anything but Slytherin.

Lucius smirked triumphantly to himself as he shadowed behind his father, mimicking the elder man's steps and posture with ease.

* * *

Chapter 44 was literally the longest chapter of _Tender Hooks_ (so far). Be happy.  
I can't listen to Razorlight without thinking of College Humor. Crap.  
Update: As of chapter 46, all review responses will be done through the private response thing. Any anonymous reviews, if they ask a question or sincerely need to be thanked, will be responded to in the chapter. Thanks, y'all.

**Ch44 Review Responses:  
THE mlb: Okay, holy shit. Yeah, this is your story. I'm dedicating the entire thing to you. I seriously just did. So your birthday is either May 20th, May 3rd or June 10th…hmmm. There's a two-thirds chance that your birthday is in May…is it the third? Or the tenth? Or the twentieth? (since I guessed all of them, I'm right no matter what)  
Also: YES, GODDAMNIT, I DID. DON'T QUESTION ME.  
.: Substance? Huh. Anyway, thank you. I will put more substance.  
DuShiZhi: Thank you!  
BellaPur: *grins* Even though I kind of already replied to this, whatever. Awesome. And, anyways, except for a few scenes in OotP, Snape's memories in DH are all we have of his childhood, so expect more of that. So…yeah. And my horse is better now. He just sucks, kind of. No, he's awesome. Anyway, thank you! And you're awesome.  
Dreams-of-Mine: Wow, you're out of town a lot. Anyway, win! If only my vet would take internet certificates…pity. Yeah, they're pretty possessive of one another; those stories where Snape is all possessive of Harry but not really the other way around have always kind of bugged me—like, why wouldn't Harry be possessive of his own lover as well? I dunno. Thank you!!  
Lovers' Medium: *takes your award and examines it carefully* Oh, yes, mhmmm. Seems legit…aha! You are awesome. To answer your question, yes, Nessie will be at Hogwarts with Severus but not really in the same year…mostly because no one other than Severus can, y'know, _see_ Nessie. It'll all pan out, you'll understand, I swear. ANYWAY, I thank you, and I have already partaken in the delicious many-chocolated cookie you have bestowed upon my awesomeness. Thank you!  
BelieveInTheUnbelievable: Always liked Lily? Huh. I personally never liked, really, any of the Marauders or Lily, mostly because I always figured that everyone except for Snape saw them through rose-tinted glasses. And, anyways, in Snape's worst memory, Lily almost laughs at him when he's hung upside-down, and that always rubbed me wrong. But, then again, I'm whoa pro-Snape, so, yeah. To answer _your_ question: yes. But Nessie doesn't know that James is his father, so if you kind of ignore that…yeah. And Nessie will certainly protect Severus to the extent of his rather limited abilities. You'll see. Anyway, I thank you with a great deal of thanks!  
Angel of Immortality: Here, let me explain about Nessie's dog fears, just to clear this up: Nessie was heavily abused in the Dursley household during the years that his mind was maturing, so not only has the abuse changed his mind, but it has also completely warped his outlook. And since he's already been sexually abused and never really been convinced that that type of abuse isn't the norm, he's terrified that he'll turn out that way as well, like abuse repeating itself through the generations. And since Nessie wants a dog so badly, he's terrified that he'll abuse the dog in the same way he was abused. Hope I made it clear enough, and thank you!!  
melissa Ivory: Yeah, I totally get what you mean. It is getting a bit stiff, but I really wanted to incorporate canon memories into _TH_. I don't know if this is a real AU (ignoring the fact that all fanfics are pretty much technically AU) or just a slight deviation from canon, but I think I'm going to go with AU. Thank you!  
-Replacement**


	46. Chapter Fortysix, Titswaggle

Scenes from DH are contained within the soul of this chapter. I own nada of it.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Forty-Six:  
Titswaggle

tell the timetables of **lost life  
**_and trade your __**single eye  
**_that you'll never step out of the _grasp  
_words **PLACE** upon you  
-'To My Valentine Boy', Sarah Rohr

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **September the First**

Severus stood next to his mother, slightly hunched over Nessie's small body, the younger boy sleeping against his shoulder, black eyes fastened on a pleasant-looking family quartet, the two girls standing a bit apart from their smiling, curious-eyed parents. Lily was pleading with her sister, green eyes wide and hands moving violently through the air.

Nessie blinked awake and looked around, bright eyes flickering blearily from Eileen's sour disposition to their surroundings. He had been forced asleep when they had gone through the Platform 9 ¾ barrier, which had sent Severus into a fit, but he had quickly restrained himself when his mother had given him a horrid look. The night prior, Eileen had sat Severus down and given him a long speech on appropriate behavior from one of Prince blood, from stoicism to excellent grades and everything in between. It was one of the first times Severus had heard his mother speak so proudly of her lineage, and he had been almost unable to stop himself from asking her why she had married a filthy Muggle and allowed herself to give birth to a tainted half-blood. But he had kept his mouth shut; nobody would ever know that he was a half-blood. He had asked his mum what happened to half-bloods and while she hadn't responded verbally, the sour way she pursed her lips and lifted her chin had given him all the answer he needed.

Severus ducked his head slightly and rested his cheek against Nessie's scarred forehead. Nessie yawned again and floated back from Severus, ripping away their tenuous connection of skin but keeping his small palms resting on Severus's hips. "Wh're 're we?" Nessie asked; instead of answering, Severus shook his head slightly and motioned towards the masses of bustling witches and wizards flocking around them with his chin, and Nessie's eyes landed on the bright red steam engine, _Hogwarts Express_ emblazoned blatantly on the side.

Lily's pleading voice floated over to them, and both boys involuntarily took a step closer to the arguing sisters, eyes fastened on their only friends. "…I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen—" Lily snatched Petunia's hand and held on tight even though Petunia tried to pull away. "Maybe once I'm there – no, listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"

"I don't – want – to – go!" Petunia screeched, and yanked her hand out of Lily's grasp. "You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a – a—"

Her pale eyes roved greedily over the platform, taking in the oddly clothed witches and wizards, young and old, mewling to their caged-in cats and birds, showing off their various wands with bright eyes and long black robes and pointed hats, some students loading their trunks into the violently red train and others greeting old friends with loud cries and wide smiles. Petunia lifted her chin and twisted her head around to stare viciously down at her sister.

"You think I want to be a – a _freak_?"

Lily's wide eyes filled with tears and she took a step away from her sister, shaking her head. "I'm not a freak," she whispered hoarsely. "That's a horrible thing to say."

Petunia bared her teeth victoriously. "That's where you're going," she snapped sweetly, pale eyes glittering with relish. "A special school for _freaks_. You and that Snape boy…weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."

Nessie frowned and detached himself from Severus, floating closer to the sisters, something flickering in the back of his mind, a memory he had long thought buried coming to the brim. He tried to stop it—this was no place to fly screaming back to Severus and have the other boy console him when no one else could even _see_ him—and only barely managed it, a flash of an older woman eerily similar to Petunia saying something almost the same, that it was good for the freaks to go to a special school, that it was for safety of 'normal' people, and he remembered, staring at the ceiling, having no idea of what she was talking about…

Nessie gasped, wide green eyes flickering over Petunia's thin body, too-long neck and buck teeth hidden behind thin lips, and something registered in the back of his mind, something similar to too-thin fingers prodding roughly at his mouth and sticking a needle through his bloody and scarred lips, a screechy, crow-like caw that was the tall woman's voice…it was too much, and Nessie automatically turned back around to Severus, not daring to see what his own mind had hidden from him. He wouldn't dare look at those memories, not for a long, long time. They were too dangerous, he knew, and the horrors they contained…the horrors were something he secretly hoped he would never have to battle but knew that he would have to, someday.

But standing in the middle of Platform 9 ¾ with only one person in the entire world able to see him and something unfamiliar creeping into the back of his mind, was not the place, and Nessie knew it. So he slithered back over to Severus and found safety pressed to the taller boy's side, pressing his forehead to the crease of Severus's neck, keeping himself out of harm's way by imagining himself and Severus standing in a field, holding hands and laughing up at the clouds.

Lily glanced up at her parents, who were wholeheartedly ignoring their arguing daughters as they looked contentedly around the platform, eyes pleasantly taking in the enjoyment around them. Her green eyes twisted back to her sister, and her voice was low and fierce, lips twisting back over her teeth. "You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you."

Petunia went red, compulsively clutching her left wrist with her right hand. "Beg? I didn't _beg_!"

Lily jutted out her chin. "I saw his reply. It was very kind."

Petunia turned white, pale eyes flummoxed and wide. "You shouldn't have read—" she rasped, a distinct rattle in the back of her throat, "—that was my private – how could you –?"

Lily couldn't stop herself from half-glancing back over to where Severus stood stiffly next to his mother, the black eyes moving immediately away from Lily and landing, happenstance, on Lucius Malfoy's pointed, thin face. The silver-grey eyes lit up with glitter and Abraxas Malfoy spun royally around, his nearly identical features locking onto Severus's gaunt features. Abraxas murmured something and Lucius nodded, but paused just as Petunia screeched, "That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"

Lily shook her head wildly and Lucius pressed his thin lips together, shaking his head and looking enviously up at his father. Abraxas said something without moving his lips—Severus couldn't even tell if the man was speaking at all or if Lucius just knew what he was going to say and nodded in response anyway—and then his own eyes, the same eerie silver-grey as his son's, glittered briefly at Severus before the two Malfoy's turned away to talk to a hauntingly beautiful pair of sisters, one light and one dark.

"No—not sneaking—" Lily blurted defensively, eyes darting in the air around Petunia's thin body, not daring to meet her sister's furious pale eyes. "Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of—"

Oh, Severus remembered now. That had been about a week after they had gone to Diagon Alley and Lily had met up with him, telling him that Petunia had sent a letter to Dumbledore about also being allowed to enroll at Hogwarts. Nessie had cracked up with laughter and Severus had been barely unable to restrain himself from doing more than just twitching his lips, and then Nessie had, between bursts of sweet, delicious laughter, had asked Severus if Dumbledore had written back and Severus had been unable to stop himself from searching Petunia's room. Lily had been rather nervous about going into her sister's room although neither Severus nor Nessie could imagine why; it wasn't as if Petunia would attack her like Tobias would attack Severus if he was found trespassing in Tobias's room, so they couldn't figure out why Lily would be afraid. Dumbledore's response had been in the second place Severus had looked: in a tiny box under Petunia's bed. And Lily was right, Dumbledore had been very kind in denying Petunia's request; but, still, he had still _denied_ her, and just the thought of that made Severus swallow convulsively with fear. Not being allowed to go to Hogwarts…having to live with his father until one of them killed the other…Severus's entire body shuddered at the very thought.

"Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" Petunia yelped angrily and twisted her chin around defiantly. "Freak!" she spat at her sister, and flounced over to her parents.

Severus made to take a step forward to go console Lily—after all, Petunia was just a stupid Muggle—but Eileen touched him softly on the shoulder and motioned towards the bright red train. Severus nodded, picked up his trunk, snatched up Nessie's hand, gave his mother a lingering look and then marched importantly towards the train, passing by Lucius Malfoy and feeling the silver-grey eyes linger on his back.

Severus quickly found a compartment—it was only 10.30, there was another half-hour until the train was scheduled to leave—and he sat Nessie in the corner as he made sure to lock the door and pull down the blinds, smiling gently down at his delicate boy. Nessie smiled tiredly and looked ready to close his eyes, but then he couldn't tear his gaze away from Severus as the older boy slowly began to disrobe.

(O.o)

Lucius Malfoy took Narcissa Black's extended hand and bowed over it, pressing a kiss to her perfect, flowery-scented knuckles, and he straightened back up, flicking his wand to charm his two trunks and belongings to follow behind him as he stepped confidently towards the Hogwarts Express. He had just seen the Severus boy—the one his father had told him to keep a very careful eye on—dart onto the train and he had politely excused himself. He knew that first impressions were most important and the majority of friendships—not that he and this Severus boy were going to be _friends_, they would be _allies_—were made on the Express, not only because new students latched onto those most similar to themselves but because the Express was charmed to send students into compartments that would attract students similar to themselves. His father had explained all of it, that although the entire staff preached tolerance and acceptance of other Houses, all of Hogwarts was segregated from the very beginning each student arrived there.

Abraxas had also confided to Lucius that the charm on the Express was Dumbledore's doing, so that the man could preach acceptance and peace between the Houses but still have the ability to segregate as he pleased. Lucius floated his trunks into an empty compartment in the Prefect carriage and carefully locked the door, spelling it with an intricate catch that only fellow Slytherins would be able to disengage. He lifted his chin haughtily and stepped into the second carriage, laying his wand flat on his palm and murmuring, "_Point Me,_ Severus." Instead of it spinning around and then pointing directly where the young boy was, Lucius's wand spun frantically counter-clockwise and then threw itself to the ground.

In the locked compartment only a few feet from Lucius, Nessie looked up from staring greedily at the difference in shades of his hand against Severus's bare chest, blinked frantically at the queer feeling flooding his mind, and bared his teeth reflexively. He floated curiously around Severus, who nervously dressed himself in his school robes, and through the locked compartment door, and found himself face-to-face with a mildly confused Lucius Malfoy leaning over to pick up his wand.

Lucius paused as something in the air around him changed and he picked up his wand, straightening up and keeping his back ramrod straight as he peered down the hallway in front of him, ignoring the sudden bustle of students behind him as the first gaggle of students decided to board the train early. Although he did not know it, he was staring straight into Nessie's wide green eyes, and the queer feeling slicking down his spine was the presence of something he would never understand.

Severus, fully dressed and all of his clothes haphazardly stuffed into his trunk, hastily unlocked and slammed the compartment door open, black eyes wide as his gaze landed immediately on Nessie. Thin shoulders relaxed visibly under secondhand, worn black cloth, and Severus took a step forward, tilting his head back to peer curiously up at Lucius. Although he tried to stop it, Severus's thin lips twitched with happiness; he _knew_ this undeniably handsome aristocrat, and how many of the new students could say that?

Lucius's thin lips twisted and he motioned with his chin to the compartment Severus's trunk was still in. "After you," he greeted pleasantly, and Severus nodded, and taking Nessie's small, hard fist in one hand, he ducked back into the compartment, Lucius stepping in just behind him. The elder Slytherin lifted his wand and the compartment door slammed closed and locked loudly; Lucius settled himself casually in the corner, tilting his head back as he carefully regarded Severus.

"My name is Lucius Malfoy," he acknowledged again, and wide black eyes flicked over Lucius, seeing his new silk robes and Slytherin tie and tied-back hair.

"Severus Snape," Severus replied quickly, fighting down the flush that rose when he had to jump up into the seat opposite Lucius instead of elegantly lower himself like the older boy. Nessie shadowed between them, something softening in his gaze when he looked at Lucius; it was the same something that softened in Severus's gaze—the knowledge that this Lucius Malfoy could get them out of the horrid world they lived in, and if he did that, they would give him anything.

(O.o)

Severus darted down the corridor of the Express, Nessie just behind him, empty-handed as he had left his trunk in Lucius's possession. They hadn't done all that much conversing, as Lucius was spectacular at talking about himself and his father and all the things he knew, but that was perfectly all right, as Severus had even made the older boy's eyes light up when he had quietly explained about some of the Dark curses and potions he knew.

_You and I will be great friends, Severus Snape_.

That still made Severus's heart clench with something he didn't recognize, but he had smiled nervously at Nessie and let the other boy take his hand, Nessie's thin red lips curled with satisfaction as he listened silently to Lucius talk about himself. "Wh're we g'ing, Sev'rus?" Nessie called, and Severus slowed down, looking nervously around to make sure that none of the occupants of the nearby compartments would see him talking to himself.

"Find Lily," he rasped, and at Nessie's nod, they took off again, only having to come to a stop a few yards down, outside a compartment filled with four rowdy boys and Lily, pressed up against the windowpane, occasionally glancing behind her at the door. Severus ducked in, ignoring the four boys as they all paused for a long moment, and sat down opposite Lily, pulling Nessie down to curl up in his lap. He leaned up against the wall, tucking his right foot under his left thigh, and leaned the side of his head against Nessie's.

Lily glanced at him and then resolutely looked back out the window, Severus ignoring how she had obviously been crying and none of the boys had done anything to help her. "I don't want to talk to you," she said, voice constricted.

Severus glanced outside, seeing the British countryside flash by. "Why not?"

"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

Severus barely restrained from rolling his eyes. "So what?" he drawled, tilting his head away from Nessie but tightening his grasp when the younger boy tried to kiss him. He was so happy to be going to Hogwarts, just _so_ happy…and now he wasn't sure it was a good idea that Nessie had been able to go with him. What if Nessie just disappeared on him when they got to Hogwarts? What if other people could suddenly see Nessie and took him away? How would he survive?

Severus would never say that he didn't want Nessie with him, because that would never be true. But he did say that he wanted to lock Nessie away so that no one could ever steal what was _his_ from him. And if anyone ever tried…Severus knew that he would go through hell and back just to have Nessie once more in his arms.

The look Lily threw him was actually impressively full of hatred, which surprised Severus. So what if they had gone through Petunia's stuff? She should have hidden the letter from Dumbledore better. "So she's my _sister_!"

"She's only a—" he began, but caught himself quickly, pursing his lips angrily and shifting uncomfortably on the bench; Lily, too busy wiping her eyes and pretending she hadn't been crying, didn't hear him. Severus glanced down at his robes and gently set Nessie to the side, seeing how Nessie sat fully on the cushioned seat and did not have to float above it or go through it but didn't register the importance of it, and leaned forward, barely able to restrain a grin from flashing across his gaunt face. "But we're going!" he exclaimed, and his black eyes flashed with excitement. He wouldn't have to see his father for ten months! "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"

Lily nodded, rubbing at her eyes, and in spite of herself, she half-smiled. She peered up at Severus through her fingers and her gut twisted.

Severus smirked. "You better be in Slytherin," he informed her haughtily; Lucius had told him that he was definitely going to be in Slytherin, and even though Severus already knew he was going to be in Slytherin, it was good that a _real_ Slytherin had assured him he was going to be. His mum didn't count; she was _old_.

"Slytherin?" Lily asked nervously; _Hogwarts: A History_ explained all of the Houses and when she had read up on Slytherin, it had explained all of the attributes she didn't like but still found…well, _attractive_—even though she'd never, _ever_ say it—in Severus.

One of the boys, a messy-haired boy with round-rimmed glasses and an air of being well-cared for, even adored, that Severus so conspicuously lacked, twisted around and stared at the two of them. Nessie gasped and darted back so far that he flew through the window to outside; Severus darted to his feet and bit out, "_Nes_—" but he stopped himself and whipped back around just in time to hear the messy-haired boy inject himself rudely in their conversation.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he drawled, and Severus frowned. Why _wouldn't_ he want to be in Slytherin? _Lucius_ was in Slytherin, and by and far, Lucius was one of the best people Severus had ever met.

Another of the boys, this one with grey eyes and black hair, who lounged across from the messy-haired boy—holy _Merlin_, he looked really familiar but Severus just couldn't…_place_ him—with an inbred grace, did not smile. "My whole family has been in Slytherin," he replied sadly, not meeting the messy-haired boy's hazel eyes.

"Blimey!" the messy-haired boy exclaimed, "and I thought you seemed all right!" And Severus had thought all four of them were useless turds, but that was just him.

The pretty boy with the grey eyes suddenly smiled, and it made his entire young face completely light up. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

The messy-haired boy leapt to his feet and hefted an invisible sword high above his head; Severus reflexively bared his teeth, palming his wand. "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad." He lowered the invisible sword as Severus made a disgusted, irritated sound in the back of his throat, not only because he was in the same compartment as a stupid _Gryffindor_ but because Nessie was _gone_. The messy-haired boy turned on Severus, hazel eyes narrowed with disgust. "Got a problem with that?"

"No," Severus drawled, but his sneer said otherwise. Stupid Gryffindor. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy—"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interjected, and Severus took a step back, frowning as the messy-haired boy roared with laughter, having to sit down as he was laughing so hard.

Lily stood up, flushed, and looked between Severus and the four boys, all of whom were laughing uproariously. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Oooo…" one of the boys called out, this one with a nasty rat-like face. The messy-haired boy tried to trip Severus as he passed.

They opened the compartment door to see Lucius Malfoy reclining outside, Nessie mimicking his posture perfectly, down to the way his eyes glittered from Lily to Severus. "See ya, Snivellus!" James called, and Lucius flicked his wand, causing the compartment door to slam shut.

Silver-grey eyes smiled down at Severus and Severus couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

Wow. The private review response is awesome. You guys rock.  
Anyway: yes, this will have anti-Dumbledore sentiments pretty much for a good portion of the fic. And a lot of Lucius Malfoy. _You can never have too much Lucius Malfoy.  
_indiegal: No, you're right. The term 'glamour' is completely a fanfic thing. I just checked in my vast notes of Harry Potter-canon things (read: Harry Potter wikia) and there's nothing in there. I'm pretty certain it's one of those complete fanon things that nobody really realizes isn't canon anymore, kind of like how some writers are absolutely convinced that, behind the scenes, Voldemort is a little crybaby sissy—I think you get what I mean. Anyway, thanks, and I hope you enjoyed the rest of the fic!


	47. Chapter Fortyseven, Placement

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Bucket/Replacement for the Stars/filthyfreedom**

Chapter Forty-Seven:  
Placement

_Gil-galad was an Elven-king.  
__Of him the harpers sadly sing:  
__the last whose realm was far and free  
__between the Mountains and the Sea.  
_-'LotR: Fellowship', JRR Tolkien

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **September the First  
****Later**

Severus had sat dazzled in a boat, greeted the hugest man easily ever created, secretly passed Nessie off into Lucius's unknown possession, and was now standing in front of a huge Hall, filled to the brim with black-robed students at four massive tables. If he peered carefully at the one closest to him, he could see Nessie shadowing just behind Lucius, but it could also just be a mirage…he wasn't quite sure. Severus turned to the Head Table, where a wildly-dressed man with an auburn beard streaked with silver stood in the very center, and the man raised his hands to the ceiling as he boomingly welcomed the new students to Hogwarts, his voice obviously strengthened by magic.

There was a ratty old hat on a three-legged stool in front of the Head Table; Severus found that his attention was constantly, involuntarily drawn to it, although he couldn't fathom why. Suddenly, the entire Hall went silent and the brim of the hat, where there was an obvious rip, peeled open and a deep, uncanny voice ripped out a song.

_A thousand years or more ago  
When I was newly sewn,  
There lived four wizards of renown,  
Whose names are still well known:_

_Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,  
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,  
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,  
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen._

_They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,  
They hatched a daring plan  
To educate young sorcerers  
Thus Hogwarts School began._

_Now each of these four founders  
Formed their own house, for each  
Did value different virtues  
In the ones they had to teach._

_By Gryffindor, the bravest were  
Prized far beyond the rest;  
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest  
Would always be the best;_

_For Hufflepuff, hard workers were  
Most worthy of admission;  
And power-hungry Slytherin  
Loved those of great ambition._

_While still alive they did divide  
Their favorites from the throng,  
Yet how to pick the worthy ones  
When they were dead and gone?_

_Twas Gryffindor who found the way,  
He whipped me off his head  
The founders put some brains in me  
So I could choose instead!_

_Now slip me snug about your ears,  
I've never yet been wrong,  
I'll have a look inside your mind  
And tell where you belong!_

Severus jerked back at the very first verse, black eyes darting wildly around the Hall; was this _normal_? By everyone else's lack of reaction, he supposed so; as he listened more carefully to the song, Severus felt his lips rip back from his teeth in victory as he listened to the…_Hat_ explain all about Slytherin. He was certainly power-hungry, and if there was anyone else with more ambition, Severus hadn't met them. And he certainly wasn't…well, no, he was brave, and sinisterly smart, and a rather hard worker…did that mean he would be put into all four Houses? Was that even possible?

He really should have read _Hogwarts: A History_, instead of just sort of looking curiously at the front cover and then putting it in his trunk.

He better be put in Slytherin.

Just as the song finished, Lily reached over and snatched up Severus's hand. The boy looked down, almost curious—the touch wasn't anything like Nessie's, and she held his hand in a way that not only signified comfort, which_ he_ certainly did not feel, but also some level of deeper kind of compassion that just didn't sit right with Severus—and then cautiously removed his grasp from hers, visibly stepping away.

A stern-looking woman with her hair tied back in a bun so tight Severus bet that she had some really nasty headaches, stepped up with a long scroll clutched in her claw-like hands. She pursed her lips down at them and greeted, "My name is Minerva McGonagall. I am the Head of Gryffindor House, as well as the Transfiguration Professor." Severus's entire body straightened;_Transfiguration_? He lifted his chin confidently. He had already read the entire Transfiguration textbook and couldn't _wait_ to start that class. "You will be Sorted in alphabetical order." McGonagall looked down her nose at the scroll in her hands and called out the first name.

It was only a few more names until the pretty boy with the grey eyes and the natural elegance was called forward; Sirius Black. A tremor ran through the entire Hall and Severus saw some of the Slytherins nodding to themselves, almost acting as if they just _knew_ they were going to be getting the little snot. "Black, Sirius!"

Black strode confidently forward, his fancy black robes swishing around his ankles, and he settled casually on the stool, putting the Hat softly on his head. Close by, the messy-haired boy shoved some of the other waiting kids forward, hazel eyes wide with anticipation, rapt on Black's stupid little form. There was a long pause, and Black's shoulders twitched; suddenly, the Hat shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!" and the entire left side of the hall—where Severus presumed Gryffindor was, as the first few students had all been Sorted into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, and they had just gone towards the center of the Hall—burst into wild cheers.

The Slytherins, on the right side of the Hall, all threw confused glances at one another but stayed relatively silent as Black jumped up and dropped the Hat back on the stool before casually strolling over to the Gryffindor table, his handsome face creased with a wide smile. Severus watched McGonagall frown down at the Hat before picking it back up and dusting the rim off. Severus ignored the other students being Sorted, telling himself that Lily surely would be placed in Slytherin, because where else would she go? _Gryffindor_? Yeah, right, like she was _brave_ or courageous or anything! Severus had been the one to convince her to go through Petunia's possessions to find that letter from Dumbledore, not the other way around! Of course she would be in Slytherin.

"Evans, Lily!"

Severus watched nervously as Lily walked up to the Hat on trembling legs, sat down on the stool and cautiously place the Hat upon her dark red hair. There wasn't even a pause; the Hat immediately cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!" and once again, the entire left side of the Hall went insane.

Severus couldn't stop himself from letting out a small groan. Lily handed the Hat back to McGonagall and walked to the Gryffindor table; she looked back, green eyes meeting black, and gave Severus a small, sad smile. Severus frowned and watched Black move forward to make room for her on the bench; Lily took her seat but once she seemingly recognized Black from the train, she firmly turned her back on him and crossed her arms over her chest.

The three rowdy boys that had all mocked Severus were all Sorted into Gryffindor—the one that looked like a rat was Pettigrew; the one that looked like a half-baked human that had been attacked by a wolf was Lupin, and the stupid messy-haired one with the glasses was _Potter_. Stupid,_ stupid_ Potter. Severus waited impatiently for his own chance at being Sorted; it was a long while, until there were just about a dozen students left, then Severus watched McGonagall look sternly down at the scroll and call out his name, "Snape, Severus!"

He scurried over to the stool, took the Hat from McGonagall, and sat down at the same moment he jammed it on his head, squeezing his eyes shut. There was a deep voice that echoed in the back of his head as Severus pleaded, over and over again, both mentally and verbally, "Slytherin, Slytherin, _please_ Slytherin, Slytherin…"

"You would be great in Gryffindor, young Severus, it's all here in your head," a deep voice boomed, and Severus shook his head wildly. Not in a million years would he _ever_ be placed in Gryffindor.

"Slytherin,_ please_."

The Hat made a small sound, almost like a tiny sigh, as if it had to deal with people who just _wouldn't_ go in the right House all day long. "Very well. Better be…SLYTHERIN!"

And the right side of the Hall, Severus's new Housemates, cheered wildly and clapped and yelled; Severus shoved the Hat back into McGonagall's hands, threw a last glance at Lily, and made his way over to Lucius and Nessie, clutching Nessie's cold hand between both of his as he sat next to Lucius and another older Slytherin, and Lucius patted his back, leaving his hand on Severus's shoulder long enough that it actually made Severus feel _welcome_…

Throughout the entire Welcoming Feast and Dumbledore's long spiel on the rules—no Forbidden Forest, the fancy new Whomping Willow was never to be gone near, etc.—and then the four strange words that Severus couldn't even remember, Severus only looked at Lily once, and found that her eyes were already locked on him.

Severus looked at her for a long moment and then looked away, peering up at Lucius while the older Slytherin confidingly explained about some of the Dark curses his father had taught him over the summer.

He did not see the sparkling blue eyes resting on him from time to time, or the way his name curved the Headmaster's lips as Dumbledore's admittedly brilliant mind raced through a thousand thoughts on what the mysterious being shadowing one of his new students could be.

(O.o)

Severus followed behind Lucius—Nessie had seen a ghost, literally, and evidently it was one of the only things that could see him in the entire castle except for Severus, so he had darted off to learn about stories and history and tales of places Severus could never even think of—down to the Slytherin dorms, where, evidently, his trunk was already waiting for him.

He _loved_ magic.

Severus peered curiously up at Lucius and the gang of Slytherins around him—Avery, Mulciber, Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa Black (who, Severus had learned, were utterly disgraced by the fact that one of _their cousins_ was now a nasty _Gryffindor_, even though Severus did get the feeling that Andromeda didn't care as much as her sisters did), Rodolphus Lestrange, Evan Rosier, Wilkes—all of whom were older than him except for Wilkes, who, if Severus remembered correctly, had the unfortunate first name of Wallace, and was the only one of their little 'group' that was close to Severus's age-he was one year above Severus. But that didn't matter; these people accepted him. They didn't mock him like Petunia or tell him that potions were _boring_ like Lily or…well, Nessie didn't ever really tell him that he did anything bad, so he didn't know anything about that, but _still_.

"Do you know any magic, Severus?" Lucius suddenly asked, leading them around a long corner, the air around them getting steadily colder.

Severus, having listened to enough of these conversations by now, knew that 'magic' meant Dark spells and curses and hexes, so he nodded quickly, not missing the pleased glances Mulciber and Lucius exchanged.

"Wait until we are safe to expound, little Severus," Lucius cooed, and one of his long, pale hands dropped onto Severus's shoulder and stayed there, as if he was making a claim of some sort on the little gaunt Slytherin.

Bellatrix and Narcissa exchanged amused glances, but that didn't stop Narcissa from stepping forward and snatching Lucius's hand in hers.

Severus's thin lips pressed together in a smile that he couldn't hold back. This was going to be bloody awesome.

(O.o)

Nessie floated cross-legged above the candles in the Great Hall, his small, delicate chin resting in the palm of his right hand as he listened to the Bloody Baron's seeping tale of death, the Baron's long chain's rattling against the air. "And I killed her," the Baron recounted sadly, his deep eyes staring off into a space Nessie hoped he would never see. "Overcome with grief, I took the knife to my own chest, and sliced my own heart out." The deep eyes turned to Nessie, the silvery bloodstains on the fancy clothes twinkling in the candlelight. "Keep my tale safe, young one, and I will tell no other of the one you keep safe."

Nessie sat up straight, frowning; he leaned back until he was supine and began to slowly spin, looking up at the enchanted ceiling he knew Severus hadn't seen yet. "Of c'urse," he agreed, and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was lying on a rather comfortable bed and staring curiously up at the elegant emerald curtains. Nessie grinned down at his hands—he hadn't ever been able to do that before! This place was incredible!—and then looked up when someone opened a door he hadn't seen.

Severus tilted into the room, black eyes landing immediately on Nessie.

(O.o)

Nessie darted up the stairs to the Great Hall, Nearly Headless Nick floating contentedly next to him, both of them excitedly explaining why they were at Hogwarts. Although none of the students other than Severus could see Nessie, they all wondered who Nick was talking to, or if he had just gone batshit insane, which was more likely of the two cases.

Nessie quickly finished his explanation of why he loved a crude, almost dangerous Slytherin—he had completely ignored Nearly Headless Nick's explanation of why all Slytherins were bad and how Gryffindor was so much better—and then at Nick's slow shake of his head, probably in astonishment at feeling any sort of emotion other than distaste towards a nasty Slytherin, Nessie grinned and floated over to settle behind Severus at the Slytherin table. Severus twisted slowly around and gifted Nessie with a slim, curling twist of his thin lips.

Severus pushed slightly back from the heavily loaded table—there was more food on the table than Nessie had literally ever seen in his life—and it was obvious that he wanted Nessie to sit on his lap. After a cautious glance at the broad-shouldered blond sitting next to his Severus, Nessie curled up in Severus's lap and contentedly settled against Severus's thin chest, twisting his fingers in Severus's worn robes. He half-listened to the conversation floating around them, feeling Severus's warm and steady heartbeat against his ear, and Nessie took a deep breath and relaxed into a doze, feeling fully content. "I l've y'u," Nessie murmured, and reveled in Severus's heart skipping a beat, almost as if his Severus was still surprised that, even though he was wonderful and beautiful and everything Nessie had ever wanted, he was loved, and Nessie pledged to make Severus one day know that he deserved Nessie and all his love, no matter what it took.


	48. Chapter Fortyeight, Celebrate

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Forty-Eight:  
Celebrate

_The power of imagination  
__makes us infinite._

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **September the Fifth**

Still uncomfortable with the attention being bestowed upon him by the elder Slytherins, Severus sat stiffly on the edge of one of the comfortable couches in Slytherin commons, hands twisted in his lap and his uneven hair over his face. Nessie was nowhere to be seen, having announced about fifteen minutes prior he was going to find the Bloody Baron or some lady. Severus had thrown him a mild glare and then allowed his attention to be caught up by Lucius's silver-grey eyes and the Malfoy's cultured tones, inquiring further into his potions knowledge.

"Wouldn't know too much about that," Severus admitted in reply to Lucius's question about ingredients in potions classified as Dark. "I hold the opinion that nothing is Dark unless used for such purposes. After all, you can kill someone by _Accio_ing their heart, and the Fidelus Charm was originally a Dark ward, even though a great deal of Light wizards now use it to shield their homes."

All of the Slytherins looked nonplussed at his admission, and Lucius moved from the heavily-stuffed armchair to Severus's right to the cushion next to Severus, sitting just an inch too close for comfort and indifferently throwing an arm over the back of the couch behind Severus's thin shoulders. Severus merely continued on his thoughts, flicking his dark gaze over the gathered students, attempting to spread his magic out to feel where Nessie was. "I am, however, not opposed to seeing it in another light," he offered, his entire body seizing when Lucius's arm dropped to his shoulders.

Severus had spent the past four days exclusively in Lucius's presence, even sleeping the past two nights in Lucius's bed with Nessie wrapped in his arms, both of them only fully able to relax in Lucius's presence. The Headmaster had been keeping quite the close eye on Severus, causing Nessie to worry about Severus's safety, and had taken to shadowing Dumbledore whenever Severus was safe with Lucius. Nessie and Severus had grown far closer in the past four days, the trust between them blossoming, and Severus was planning on spending a bit of alone time with his Nessie in Lucius's bed. He had basically moved into the prefect's room, after all, and Lucius had been very clear that Severus was under his protection, even if he was a…half-breed. But that wasn't knowledge that more than a few people had, and Lucius was very protective of his charge, even if it infuriated Narcissa.

But Severus's nervous tensing stopped the moment Lucius pulled him into the blond Slytherin's side, the two of them ignoring Narcissa's glaring blue eyes trained on the two of them. Tucked firmly against the blond, Severus ducked his head and allowed his hair to cover his face, listening to the reverberation of Lucius's deep voice in the elder man's widening chest. "What, little Severus, is the rarest potion ingredient you own?" Lucius suddenly asked, interrupting Avery's response to Bellatrix's question on his schedule for the year, dipping down a hand to push Severus's hair out of his face.

Mind quickly flicking through the vials his mother had pressed upon him the morning he left for Hogwarts, Severus looked up and met Lucius's gaze. "Re'em blood," he admitted softly. "Only a mouthful or two."

Rosier, who had taken an instant dislike to Severus, snorted and kicked back in his armchair, crossing his long legs at his ankles and glaring at the small first-year. "Do not lie, Snape! It is not possible a poor half-breed like yourself could own one of the rarest ingredients in the market today!"

Wordlessly, Severus pushed to his feet and stalked to Lucius's room, headed straight for his trunk, not seeing Nessie floating upside-down just to the left of the door. "Sev'rus! Wh't're y'u d'ing? L'cius is 'n th' c'mmon r'om."

Pausing his search, Severus looked up and wordlessly reached out a hand for his boy. Nessie floated obediently into his grasp and righted himself, pressing himself up against the taller boy. "I am not looking for Lucius," he murmured, bringing a hand around to cup the back of Nessie's head, tangling his long fingers in Nessie's wild hair and dragging his head forward to brush their mouths together. Nessie sighed happily into Severus's mouth and wound his thin arms around the Slytherin's neck, the butterfly around his head altering its path to accommodate Severus's head as well.

Regretfully pulling himself away, Severus's stomach fluttered at Nessie's whispered, "I l've y'u," and softly repeated the declaration as he quickly pressed a kiss between Nessie's bright green eyes, turning to renew his search through his trunk for the tiny vial of Re'em blood. It was right where he left it, of course, thanks to a few learnt charms from Lucius to keep unwanted others out of his belongings. He had quickly learned that very few protection charms affected Nessie and was planning to use that to his advantage in the future. Quickly pressing a last kiss to Nessie's thin lips, he darted back into the common room, handing the tiny vial to Lucius as he settled back into the young man's side, ignoring Narcissa's glare and how she scurried to sit on Lucius's other side and desperately clutched the Malfoy heir's hand.

Severus wanted to laugh; was she actually jealous? She and Lucius had been betrothed from birth, with very strict regulations on their behavior, both engaged and married. From what Lucius had told Severus, they were allowed to both date one other person before they each turned seventeen, and were not allowed sexual contact with any being other than their partner once they married. Severus had no particular opinion on the matter, pleased with the fact his mother had not betrothed him to anyone. He found it amusing that _he_ could be seen as a threat, however. He knew he wasn't particularly attractive (attractive enough for Nessie was what mattered) and he was well aware that Lucius was very handsome, with his pale, pointed face and glittering silver-grey eyes and long, perfect hair. However, Lucius did not hold a candle to Nessie, who was the personification of attractive in Severus's mind, and while he could objectively rate how good-looking Lucius was, he knew he would never want any more with the other man than the rather physical friendship they had now.

Lucius tucked his wand away and nodded in approval, handing the tiny vial back to Severus, who cradled it in his long fingers. "It is Re'em blood," he told the rest of their group, causing Rosier to snort in disgust and roll his eyes.

"Let me see it, then," Rosier snarled, holding out an elegant, pale hand. Severus did not move, keeping his gaze on the fire.

"Do not be ridiculous, Evan," was all Lucius would say on the matter, smoothly and delicately untangling his hand from Narcissa's grasp and turning his full attention to Severus. "Now, little Severus, tell me what potions you would use such a valuable product in."

Severus shrugged, mind going blank for a moment at the sight of Nessie floating behind Rodolphus, who was directly across from the small first year. He dragged his mind from Nessie's bright green eyes and watched Rodolphus's broad shoulders move under the dark grey robes. "An addition to a Strengthening Serum, of course, to increase the potency for a brief period of time, or between the rotten egg and the diced fluxweed in a Fortis Forticus Draught to increase the amount of time the first wave of the draught lasts." Pausing for a long moment, Severus pushed his hair over his shoulder and looked between Nessie and Lucius before opening his mouth to continue.

Lucius hushed him with a press of his long fingers to Severus's lips, dragging the boy closer and nearly into his lap, throwing Rodolphus a nasty, smug smirk and receiving a nod in return. "No need to expound," Lucius cooed, and then sent Severus to bed, throwing a Silencing Ward over his rooms and turning to his friends. "Seems I was right," he drawled, and that was all Nessie heard before he slipped into Lucius's quarters.

Nessie greedily watched Severus change and then joined the older boy in Lucius's bed, curling themselves around one another and tangling their limbs quite thoroughly. Severus brought Nessie's head up so their lips met, and sharing breath, they fell asleep.

Quite a bit later, Lucius joined Severus, ignoring the way the younger Slytherin seemed to be cuddling with someone he could not see, and pulled the boy into his arms, also ignoring the way his skin froze at the way the boy's skin rolled over his own. Smirking to himself at his success, Lucius tucked his wand under his pillow and followed the boy into slumber.


	49. Chapter Fortynine, Nemesis

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Forty-Nine:  
Nemesis

_Do not look for approval except for  
__the consciousness of doing your best._

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **September the Sixth**

Although Severus had received his official schedule the past Friday, he was given another copy by Lucius, who had made a few extra copies in case Severus happened to lose one. Severus had stared at the elder Slytherin for a few long moments before lowly thanking him and turning back to his simple breakfast of porridge and pumpkin juice. He wasn't fond of breakfast food and tended not to eat much at that particular meal.

As Lucius had the first period free, he was planning on walking Severus to his first class, and was now sitting next to the first year with his hand on Severus's lower back, the boy nearly in his lap. Narcissa, who had thought Lucius's claiming of the boy amusing at first, was now furious, but knew she could not stop it for another two years. While she did still have a claim on Lucius, it was minimal until they were of age and married. She could voice her preference for Lucius to leave the runt alone but could not influence him in any other manner, as it was required of her to remain completely pure until her marriage. It was a very common pureblood betrothal prerequisite, and as Narcissa had been raised in a very stringent pureblood household, she knew better than to complain or attempt to convince her betrothed when he, as the male, was correct.

Narcissa knew her place and although she was not raised to question it, she was going to do a bit of research on proper betrothal proceedings for the male counterpart. In her experience, limited as though it was, and knowledge, it was uncommon for a young man Lucius's age to be so physically attached to an eleven-year-old boy. However, she did notice that Severus was only relaxed and comfortable around Lucius, and wary and nervous around anyone else, and became so unperturbed whenever Lucius would touch him that he often almost fell asleep. Bellatrix had asked Rodolphus to wrap his arm around Severus once, to see if it was physical touch or Lucius, and the gaunt first year had nearly jumped out of his robes, nearly shaking with what Narcissa had assumed to be fear. Clearly, it was Lucius who calmed the boy so.

Frowning to herself, Narcissa turned her attention back to her betrothed and the small first year on the other side of the Slytherin table. Lucius and Severus were softly talking about Severus's day, with Lucius making notes on Severus's schedule with a quill that was clearly not his—it was small and rumpled, with feathering missing and clearly not self-inking or expensive. However, unlike as Lucius would have done with anyone else, the Malfoy heir made no remark on the poor state of the boy and his belongings, which hit Narcissa as hard as the Cruciatus Curse. As well as the boy's strange mannerisms, how he often would not reply to questions or occasionally seemed to be speaking or interacting with someone no one else could see—the Lucius Narcissa knew would have nastily remarked on the mannerisms and effectively abused the boy and practically gotten him removed from Slytherin through alienation and bullying. This Lucius was kind and calm, generous and very, very physical, often defending the Snape boy when someone insulted him in Lucius's presence. She had even heard from Rosier that Severus was even sleeping with Lucius, having effectively moved into the prefect quarters with the fifth year Slytherin.

She did not particularly understand what was going on, but she was powerless to stop it.

(O.o)

Nessie floated next to the phoenix in Dumbledore's office, enjoying the way the Headmaster would attempt to work on some form and then stare around his office, as if sensing Nessie there, and he had flicked and waved his wand around a few times, which had, to Nessie's knowledge, had revealed nothing of importance, going by the frustrated sighs Dumbledore let out. He had been watching the Headmaster for about an hour or so now and was getting bored. As he left, the phoenix trilled and Nessie giggled, trailing a hand down the wall as he floated down the still spiral staircase. He exited through the gargoyle and patted it on the head before wandering down the hall.

He paused, seeing something strange in his peripheral vision. It looked like a little man, floating in the air in a similar manner as he did, with black hair and outlandish clothes—a striped, long-sleeved shirt, with flowing polka-dot pants and strange blue and orange shoes that curled up at the toes—and Nessie stopped completely, turning his head to stare into confused dark eyes. The strange apparition moved slightly, Nessie's narrowed eyes following his every movement, and disappeared for a moment before reappearing on Nessie's other side. Nessie only stared, wondering if he could do the same thing.

Concentrating, Nessie focused completely on appearing on the other side of the strange little man, but found himself floundering in what felt like a pit of mud. He shook himself out of it and stared at the man.

"Not a wee student, Peeves thinks, but something special! Does the silly billy Headymasty know about this ickle companion?"

Nessie frowned. "Wh' 're y'u?" he asked politely, keeping his gaze from wandering to the little man's clothes. Used to Severus's dark clothes as he was, the bright colors made him uncomfortable.

"Why, this handsome lad of mine is Peeves, he is!" the little man crowed, doing a little jig in front of Nessie and then giving the small boy a flourishing bow and holding out his hand. "And who might the wee companion who graces these halls be?"

Nessie told Peeves his name, cautiously reaching his hand out to shake the small hand. To his surprise, he was able to touch Peeves without either of them feeling frigid or their hearts clutching death in their grasp, and nor did his touch go through the tiny hand. It felt like touching a stranger version of Severus, just how Nessie imagined it was like touching another person.

"What a strange name that is, ickle Nessie! Nessie Bessie! Nessie Bessie!" Peeves cackled and, still holding onto Nessie's hand, pulled the small boy after him as he darted down a corridor. "Nessie Bessie helping wee Peevsie with pranks he is!"

Nessie smiled to himself, hoping he had made a friend.

(O.o)

"Ickle firsties, so fun!" Peeves cried during the lunch hour, darting into the Great Hall with Nessie following right behind him, his scarred hands empty of the waterbombs Peeves wanted to drop on the new students, as he couldn't hold anything unless Severus was touching it. Smiling to himself, he wandered over to the Slytherin table where Severus was by himself, eating something that looked absolutely disgusting to Nessie, and settled himself on the bench next to the older boy.

"I have been told Peeves is nothing more than a menace," Severus remarked idly, eyes bright as he turned his attention to Nessie. They really had not spent enough time together over the past week, with Severus being more involved with school and Lucius and not quite having enough time as he used to for Nessie, and Nessie busying himself with the ghosts and now Peeves.

Nessie giggled, moving up to kiss Severus's lips. "H' is a m'nace, Sevvie. B't a n'ce m'nace."

"What's this? Greasy greased Snapey all greasing up wee Nessie Bessie!" Peeves exclaimed, darting down to float in front of the two boys. Flushing, Nessie floated up, pulling Peeves with him, floated up so high they went through the extensive and complicated wards on the ceiling of the Great Hall. Nessie shuddered at the feeling but continued on through, clearly surprising the poltergeist. "What is wee Nessie Bessie be needing from me?" Peeves asked once they were clearly alone, not taking his dark gaze away from Nessie's grasp on his hand.

"D'n't h'rt Sev'rus," Nessie ordered, a firm set to his jaw and a sharp look in his gaze. "H' is m'ne." _And you are twice his_ resounded in his head, but he chose not to think on that right then, knowing it would only cause him to blush and lose his train of thought.

Peeves seemed to actually be considering him. "Can I drop just a wee waterbomb on his greasy head? Cleans him right up!"

Nessie shook his head, dropping Peeves's hand to cover his mouth to keep his smile hidden. "Sev'rus d'esn't n'ed t' be cle'ned up. He's p'rfect."

Peeves laughed but agreed, yanking Nessie back down into the Great Hall to throw waterbombs at the Gryffindor first years, making sure to especially drench Potter and his friends.

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **September the Eleventh**

To Severus's annoyance, he hadn't been able to get any quality length of alone time with Nessie for the past week, and Lucius had clearly noticed, asking the younger boy if he was alright or if he was homesick. Severus, lost in thoughts of how to get himself alone with Nessie for a period longer than just a few stolen minutes, would not answer and barely felt the reassurance of Lucius's strong arm over his shoulders or around his waist. Nessie had been spending quite a bit of time with Peeves, pranking the other students and bothering the teachers, coming back at night with sparkling eyes and brimming with stories of what he had done during the day, stories that Severus was regretfully unable to listen to, as he was either involved with homework or so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.

But now, Severus had asked Lucius for the afternoon alone in the prefect's quarters, to study while Lucius relaxed the Saturday afternoon away in the commons, and had stripped down to his smalls to await Nessie's momentary arrival. He had locked the door and then placed a small hex on the doorknob that if it was touched, it would send a shock through the person's magic. He was rather proud of that hex and glanced over at the door to smirk again.

Severus's magic thrummed and Nessie descended through the ceiling, eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed, biting his thin red lips with small white teeth. "Sev'rus," Nessie murmured, going straight to Severus's arms.

"Nessie," he breathed, taking in the boy's scent of faded roses and rain, wrapping his thin arms around Nessie's waist and pulling them together, making sure to keep Nessie's weight off of his right hip, as was his habit, and the two boys fell back onto Lucius's bed, Severus twisting them so he landed on top of Nessie. Wrapping long fingers around Nessie's thin wrists, Severus shackled them above the boy's head, ordering him to keep a hold on the headboard. Nessie flushed as Severus unbuttoned Nessie's overlarge white shirt, reverently tracing the crisscrossing scars on the too-pale skin.

"Have you enjoyed Hogwarts thus far, my Nessie?" Severus queried lightly, dropping his head to lick a long stripe from Nessie's belly button up to his collarbones. Nessie gasped, hands clenching reflexively on the intricately carved bars of the headboard.

"Y-y's, Sevvie!" Nessie panted, swallowing the centers of his words as he attempted to regain his breath.

Smirking nastily, Severus slid up Nessie's side and cradled the precious head in his forearms, twisting his fingers in Nessie's silky hair. Slowly, he dropped his head to press his lips to Nessie's with the slightest of pressure; Nessie whined in the back of his throat and jutted his chin forward, attempting to gain more contact.

"Hush," Severus murmured, and delved forward, sliding Nessie's lips apart with his lips and tongue, sliding his tongue along the line of Nessie's gums and searching out the dark, special flavor of sweets and rain in Nessie's mouth. Nessie gasped, opening his mouth as far as it would go and reaching out his own scarred tongue to dance with Severus's. As their mouths moved together, Severus reached down a hand to pet Nessie's abdomen, tracing the scars with his fingers and caressing the white skin.

Something hot swarmed in Severus's gut, something that sent sparks through every tendon and felt like it was burning every muscle, and he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt muscles stiffen and his entire body go hard. Slowly, he came back to, prying his mouth away from Nessie's as he shuddered still, and then met Nessie's gaze as the younger boy delicately licked his swollen lips, eyes lidded and hazy with something Severus could not name. Slowly, as he became more aware, he felt a small hand in his pants, dry and still pressing against the skin between his sac and his anus. Frowning down at Nessie, who flushed and quickly removed his hand, raising it back up to the headboard, Severus felt the last twitch and shiver leave his system and he dropped down next to his boy, mind flickering through images of what he had seen in Nessie's mind.

"I told you not to remove your hands," Severus murmured, and gently calmed the boy with gentle touches and soft hands, releasing the stiffness from the muscles. "Should I punish you?"

Nessie flushed, clearly unsure, those wide green eyes going automatically to Severus for the answer. "I d'n't kn'w…y's?"

"Yes?"

Nessie swallowed audibly but nodded, dropping his gaze. "Y's."

"Very well. Your punishment is to not move your hands from the headboard until tomorrow morning. Now go to sleep." Severus shut off the lights with a wave and flick of his wand, murmuring "_Nox_" under his breath, and curled up into Nessie. After a moment, before he fell asleep, he removed the hex on the door.

A few hours later, Lucius came in and even though there was no one around to see, still gently tucked the small first year into bed, firmly ignoring the way he seemed curled around an invisible pillow of some sort. After getting ready for bed himself, he slipped under the covers and wrapped his own arms around Severus, making sure to not touch the frigid presence the boy was cuddling. He would let the boy come to him in his own time.


	50. Chapter Fifty, Pants

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty:  
Pants

_We're all here for a spell,  
__get all the good laughs you can._

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **September the Seventeenth**

To Severus's surprise, he had actually forgotten about the boys he had met in the Hogwarts Express in all of the excitement of getting to Hogwarts, being Sorted into Slytherin and new classes. True, he was in the same classes as all of them—strange how Slytherin and Gryffindor always seemed to be put together—but none of them had particularly bothered him until today. He had always been a bit of a loner, either working with Lily or the one Slytherin in his year that Lucius had approved of, a tall, lanky boy named Baird Vaisey. He was still fond of Lily, but found her insufferable—it seemed that being surrounded by a multitude of insipid Gryffindors had changed her. Severus found it frustrating to have to listen to her ramble on about how she missed her sister and parents and how she was treated a bit differently by the purebloods in Gryffindor because she was Muggle-born and how Severus had told her it wouldn't make any difference and oh Slytherin, Severus wanted to curse her. But Vaisey was calm and quiet and, as Severus thought back on it, had stopped quite a few potential attacks on him. Clearly Lucius had had a few words with the young Slytherin and he was taking his job very seriously.

But now, however, he was unfortunately alone, with not even Nessie for company. Nessie was off somewhere with Peeves, most likely helping the poltergeist with shoving gum into keyholes or stealing Professors' clothes and hanging them from the carefully spelled rafters in the Great Hall. Severus was revising his notes from the most recent Potions class when he heard it: Black's nasty voice drawling about how much homework he had to do for the weekend. Stiffening, Severus slowly raised his head, moving only his eyes to lock them on the pretty, elegant boy and his three friends. Potter, Black and two boys, one that looked tired and run-down and the other looked like a rat.

The tired boy was reading his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, making sure he wasn't to trip by glancing up every few seconds, almost trodding on Black's heels a few times. Potter was joining Black in complaining when they saw Severus, and a nasty smile drew its way across Potter's long face.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Snivellus!" Potter crowed, stalking forward to stand above Severus. "Didn't know they let the snakes out during this hour, Sirius. We should probably catch him for the Headmaster."

Black sneered, appearing on Severus's other side, leaning down to snatch Severus's wand and notes out of his hands. "Give those back!" Severus screeched, throwing himself to his feet, hoping Black wouldn't actually _look_ at the notes. He had gotten bored in class, much to his embarrassment now, and had actually written Nessie's name all over the margins. "Those are mine!"

Black only cackled, looking just like Bellatrix for a moment, causing Severus to stop and stare at him. Before he could react, Black lifted his wand and spat out something that caused Severus to go stiff as a board and fall over. "They aren't now, Snivelly," Potter snarled, and held out his hand. Severus was able to see Black obediently handing his notes over and throwing his wand, his precious wand, out somewhere in the grass. Adjusting his glasses, Potter sat down behind Severus, using the smaller boy as a footrest while he examined his notes.

"Oh, they're just his Potions notes!" Potter snarled, and ripped them to shreds, throwing the bits of parchment at Severus. "Worthless little Slytherin!"

Black chuckled, picking up a few of the bits of parchment. "Looks like Snivvy's work, all right, James. It's got grease dripping from it!"

The two of them laughed and Lupin looked up with mild interest, glancing down at Severus. Pettigrew edged around Lupin, a greedy look on his face. "Make him eat it," Pettigrew rasped, and Severus tried to close his mouth but the jinx or hex Black had placed upon him was still in effect. Black and Potter seemed to be honestly considering Pettigrew's request, and with a sneer, Black picked up a handful of the thin parchment and advanced on Severus.

Severus wasn't able to close his mouth and choked and couldn't breathe through the parchment shoved down his throat. To his shame, he felt tears streak down his face and he tried to scream but couldn't get the sound out past the parchment.

Black stopped shoving the parchment once he deemed Severus was choking enough, and looked down at the rest of the bits he had in his hand. The one on the very top revealed the name Severus was unwilling to let anyone know—_Nessie_.

Black couldn't stop laughing and dropped the rest of the bits of the parchment, jumping over Severus to drop to his knees next to Potter. "Look at this, James! Snivellus has a crush!"

All four of the boy laughed and even Lupin looked amused as he reached forward to take the paper from Black. "Nessie," Lupin read aloud, and all four boys fell silent as they tried to figure out exactly who 'Nessie' was.

Feeling the jinx on his muscles start to wear off, Severus tried to flex them to make sure his arms and legs worked, and uncaring of the drool and tears running down his face, he did his best to spit the mass of parchment out of his mouth, somehow not attracting any attention for his actions. Gasping in air, he rolled over and scrambled to his feet, running to his wand and then running to Lucius.

The closer Severus came to the Slytherin dorms, however, the more and more brainless he felt. He couldn't tell Lucius what those Gryffindors had done to him; he would look like a weakling and all the other Slytherins would laugh at him, even Lucius would. Spitting out the last bit of parchment, Severus lifted his chin and swore not to even tell Nessie.


	51. Chapter Fiftyone, Spice

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-one:  
Spice

_Rescue me  
__Show me who I am  
_'_Cause I can't believe  
__This is how the story ends  
_'Rescue Me', Kerrie Roberts

(O.o)

Year: **1971**

Date: **October the First**

The Gryffindors' bullying of Severus was only getting worse: tripping him in the halls, hexing his robes so they changed colors or randomly unbuttoned and slipped off, the sleeves trying to strangle him, stealing his books and quills, smashing his inkpots, and in one class that Black and Potter had sat directly behind him, shaving the back of his head. Severus had been lucky in that he was able to quickly brew a Hair Growth Salve and apply it to the back of his head, with Nessie and Lucius being none the wiser. It was clear the Professors knew of his plight but none of them cared enough to stop the favored Gryffindors. The few times Severus had retaliated, he had been given detention, time which was taken away from time he would otherwise be spending with Nessie or Lucius.

The only Slytherin that knew about the bullying was Vaisey, and it was clear that the tall first year wasn't going to do anything about it, leaving it all on Severus. All he wanted was a bit of help, but he didn't know how to tell Lucius that he was being _bullied_ and not be mocked for it. He knew he could tell Nessie and Nessie would have Peeves prank the Gryffindors for all they were worth, but he didn't want to stoop to that level. He felt it was more important to rise above—but they were so frustrating and annoying and Severus just wanted to curse them! He wanted to see them scream in pain and stand over their shaking bodies and just watch them _bleed_. Merlin-damned Gryffindors.

Presently, Severus had deserted the Great Hall in favor of not having dinner in the Slytherin commons, far preferring not eating at all than eating without Lucius's protection. The Gryffindors never seemed to bother him when Lucius was around, possibly because Lucius was a prefect or because it was clear Severus was under Lucius's protection, or even because Lucius was far more intimidating than a Professor. He was curled up in an armchair, Nessie in his arms and the smaller boy chattering Severus's ear off on what he and Peeves had done that day—annoy Dumbledore to an extent that the Headmaster had started sending hexes around his office at random, almost hitting Nessie a few times and hitting Peeves once with a hex that stuck his tongue to the roof of his mouth, which hadn't worn off yet. But once it did, Peeves was planning on following one of the Gryffindor firsties around for an entire day on Nessie's idea.

"Which one?" Severus murmured after making sure he was the only one in the commons.

Nessie grinned, reaching up a hand and taking Severus's own, intertwining their fingers. "L'pin, I th'nk h's n'me is. P'eves s'ys he's l'ony."

Severus sat back, pulling Nessie into his lap. Once they were comfortable, he leaned his cheek against the top of Nessie's head and thought for a few long moments. "Lupin is often seen with three other Gryffindors—Potter, Black and Pettigrew. I would like for those four to get all Peeves has."

Nessie laughed, the sound bright and loud, floating out of Severus's opening arms when the wall opened to the commons, a flood of loudly chattering students rushing in. "As y'u w'sh, my Sevvie," Nessie promised, and vanished.

Severus smiled secretively to himself and then looked happily up at Lucius when the tall blond Slytherin stepped in front of him. Lucius easily bent down and picked Severus up, turning around and settling the younger Slytherin in his lap as he sat down. They sat together for a long while before Lucius spoke to the half-asleep boy in his lap. "I know what Potter and his cohorts have been doing to you, Severus, and I am very disappointed that you did not come to me when it began."

Severus froze, ducking his head so his hair covered his face, twisting his hands in his robes. "Lucius," he started, but couldn't finish, unsure of what to say.

"I am also disappointed you continue your friendship with the Gryffindor Mudblood, Evans. I thought I had taught you better than that, Severus."

Severus lifted his head at that, frowning as he looked at Lucius through his hair, dropping his hands limply to his lap. "There's nothing wrong with being Muggle-born!" he argued, on the verge of ripping himself out of Lucius's strong arms.

Those arms tightened immediately around him and Lucius's silver-grey eyes narrowed dangerously, nostrils flaring as he glared at the small boy in his lap. "Do not test me, Severus. You will not like the result if you continue this."

"But…"

"No buts. Mudbloods are magic-stealers; they steal magic from perfectly good purebloods and halfbreeds and turn them into Squibs. You will understand soon enough, but I will not tolerate this…association you have with her. You will not continue partnering with her in class, you will not speak to her out of class, and if she speaks to you, you will be polite but end the conversation as quickly as possible. You will come to me immediately if you have any contact with her. Am I understood?"

"But…Lucius, she's my friend!"

"She is a Mudblood, little Severus," Lucius replied, his voice softening out as he looked down at Severus's worried face. "Hush." Gently, he raised a hand and cupped the side of Severus's face, meeting Severus's confused black eyes. "I understand it is difficult for you, but you have no choice."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so. Now, tell me about these bullying Gryffindors."

Severus sighed, letting the point on Lily go for now. He knew Lily and he knew that unless he did something terrible, she would not let his friendship go. He did find it strange how after what his father had done to her, she still chose to be friends with him, but as a lonely boy in a poor neighborhood, he had taken all the friends he could get. It did not make sense to him that her parents would allow her to still be friends with the son of the man who had done such a horrible thing to her. But people did not speak of such things, Severus knew, and he sighed, leaning back into Lucius's arms. Wishing for Nessie to be curled in his arms, Severus slowly recounted every encounter he could remember with the four Gryffindors, beginning with the time on the Hogwarts Express.

After he was done, Lucius's arms had tightened so dangerously that Severus was having trouble breathing and the magic fluttering around them was pulsing angrily. "Lucius," the boy gasped, and it only took a moment for the blond's arms to relax.

"You have suffered a great injustice, Severus," Lucius rasped, and when the small first year turned to curl against Lucius's chest, he quickly saw the elder Slytherin's silver-grey eyes locked furiously on the fire fifteen feet in front of them. "I will not allow this to continue any longer."

Severus flushed and allowed Lucius to simply hold him for a little while before quietly thanking him. Lucius merely held him all the tighter.

(O.o)

Although it made him a bit uncomfortable, Severus dutifully sat on Lucius's lap the next morning for breakfast, eating from Lucius's plate and drinking from Lucius's goblet. Nessie and Peeves were both hovering over Gryffindor table, Nessie's eyes bright and a smile on his small, scarred face as Peeves cried out, "Loony, loony Lupin! Loony, loony, loony, loony Lupin! Loony, loony Lupin!" over and over again. Lucius had already spoken to the appropriate Slytherins on what the Gryffindors had been putting Severus through, and everyone had given their word to do their best to keep Severus protected. All of them agreed that it was necessary for Severus to end his association with Lily, and Severus was now wondering if they were right.

It was common knowledge that pureblood families were birthing more and more Squibs each year, while there were more Muggle-borns coming in. Quite a few purebloods and halfbreeds thought it was that the Mudbloods were stealing magic, and Severus thought it made sense. But had he stolen magic by being a halfbreed? Lucius had assured him he hadn't but Severus still wasn't sure. Maybe it was safer to stay away from Lily if she really did steal magic.

Although Rosier still didn't like Severus, the elder Slytherin had taken it upon himself to escort Severus to every class Lucius was not able to, and was now sitting to Lucius's right, in Severus's usual place, staring down his nose at the Gryffindors across the Hall. Rosier was wider than Lucius, and more muscular as well, and Severus was a bit intimidated by the elder Slytherin when he thought about it. However, now, he was only grateful that Lucius was so fond of him that he would go to such lengths for him.

Nessie swung over to the Slytherin side of the Hall, cheeks red with excitement and eyes glittering with joy. "Sev'rus, d'd y'u s'e? P'eves m'de L'pin cry!"

Just as Severus was going to start chuckling, Peeves began cackling and swooped over to the Slytherin table, gathering Nessie up and pulling him away, out of the Great Hall after the fleeing Gryffindors. No one seemed to notice Peeves' strange behavior, however, other than Lucius, who turned his attention to the two second years in their group, Wilkes and Mulciber. Lucius merely watched them for a moment and nodded in approval when Wilkes offered, "We'll watch him for you, Malfoy, no worries." Mulciber grunted and peered over at Severus, watching the gaunt first year with dark, sunken eyes.

Severus sighed and dropped his gaze to his lap, unwilling to eat anymore, wishing he had Nessie there with him, his most precious one.


	52. Chapter Fiftytwo, Everything Nice

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-two:  
Everything Nice

_Most folks are about as happy  
__as they make up their mind to be._

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **October the Thirtieth**

Although Severus knew Lucius had tried his best with keeping the Gryffindors away from him, coupled with Nessie and Peeves's attempts to basically destroy the four, it had gotten no better for him. In fact, in the moments in which he was alone, few and far between as they were, were when the four boys would advanced upon him and say terrible, terrible things to him. They had not yet figured out who 'Nessie' was meant to be, but it was clear Lupin and Black were keeping a close eye on him to see if they could figure it out. There were only two females in the entire school that had names that began with an N—Narcissa and a third year Ravenclaw named Norma—and neither of their names could in any manner be turned into 'Nessie'. Severus had caught a lucky break with that and he knew it.

He was now finishing an essay for Slughorn on ten uses of flabberghasted leeches in rare potions, and had made the mistake of not sitting in the Slytherin commons. He had slipped out and was relaxing in an abandoned classroom, Nesssie slumbering at his feet, head resting in Severus's lap. Somehow, Black found him. Somehow, Nessie did not wake up.

Somehow, Lucius knew where he was, and nearly killed the Gryffindor for what he did.

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **December the Twenty-Fifth**

As neither Severus nor Nessie had particularly celebrated Christmas before, they were both looking forward to this one, even if they couldn't really get each other anything. Nessie could not because he couldn't touch anything unless Severus was touching it as well, and Severus could not buy Nessie anything for the same reason and also because he wouldn't quite know just _what_ to buy.

As Severus hurriedly limped to the Christmas tree Lucius had set up for them next to the small fireplace in the prefect's rooms, Nessie being tugged along by his hand, Lucius sat up in their wide bed and hid a yawn behind his hand, smoothing down his hair as he slipped out of bed and pulled on his thin nightshirt. Grabbing his wand, Lucius stepped over to the tree and settled down on the floor next to the loveseat in front of the fireplace, pulling Severus into his lap and holding the boy close.

"How are you doing this morning, little Severus?"

"Well, thank you," Severus murmured, turning into Lucius's embrace for a moment before twisting back to stare excitedly at the Christmas tree, shifting uncomfortably at the pain in his right hip. After what Black had done to him, his father's own wound to the area had been exacerbated, and for the next month, Severus had barely been able to walk on his own, having to spend nearly all day in Lucius's bed and have his homework and meals brought to him. Lucius, of course, had been absolutely wonderful, pandering to Severus's every need, spoiling him with small, expensive gifts and delicious treats. Often, Severus wondered just why Lucius was doing such a thing—_he_ wasn't the one betrothed to Lucius, after all, he didn't need to be wooed—but then Lucius would give him a brand new robe or a tiny snake made completely out of silver and emerald and Severus wouldn't particularly care anymore. "And how are you, Lucius?"

"Better than when I had to meet Narcissa an hour ago," Lucius replied, and both Severus and Nessie looked curiously up at him. Neither of them had even noticed Lucius leaving or returning to the bed. "Yes, it is proper to greet your betrothed on Christmas morn with a small gift. I gave her a dragonfly brooch. While I care for her, Severus, this is not about her. Why don't you open your presents?"

Severus ducked his head forward and stared at the presents from behind his hair. He wanted to be greedy and take all the presents but he assumed most of them were for Lucius and did know quite how to go about saying such a thing. He was quite certain that only Lucius and maybe his mother had gifts for him under the tree. "I don't think they're all for me, Lucius," he whispered, and could feel the frown Lucius directed at him.

"Of course the presents are for you, Severus. I bought them all for you."

"Me? Why me?"

There was a long pause in which Lucius merely Summoned a small package and pushed it into Severus's hands. "Because, little Severus, you are mine."

(O.o)  
**Later**

Nessie had been mightily confused by Lucius's declaration earlier, as well as Severus's absent denial. He was unsure if he should be worried—could he be losing Severus? It was clear to him that Lucius was a great deal more attractive than he, so could Severus be wanting something more than what he had? After all, Severus did spend more time with Lucius than he did with Nessie, as Nessie spent his days either making ruckus with Peeves or spending time with the Bloody Baron, and had no interest in sitting in Severus's classes with the other boy. Severus had never asked him to sit in his classes, but could Severus be mad at him for not offering?

Frustrated, Nessie left the room where Severus and Lucius had left him alone approximately an hour before for lunch, searching out Peeves or the Baron. He liked Peeves more, of course he did, as he had far more fun with the poltergeist than he did with the glum ghost, but the Baron always had such interesting stories, tales from watching years of Hogwarts students go through those empty halls, and it was the Baron first who told Nessie what those four Gryffindor boys were doing to his Severus.

Turning to go deeper into the dungeons, Nessie lowly called out for the Baron, waltzing through the walls and spinning through the floors. A few times, he bobbed up into the lake and gagged at the feeling of water on his skin, something in the back of his head coming forward, something wet trailing down his throat, being held down in a tub…he didn't want to remember, he really didn't.

Forcing himself to move faster, Nessie glared and bellowed again for the Baron, who appeared immediately in front of him. Nessie stopped and glared, putting his fists on his hips.

"Young companion," the Baron greeted, inclining his head briefly, twisting his thick lips in mimicry of a smile.

Nessie relaxed, dropping his arms to his sides and slumping his back as he floated in front of the ghost. "I w'nt to kn'w if 'ny oth'r st'd'nts 're tre'ted l'ke my Sevvie."

"Bullied as he is, young companion?" At Nessie's nod, the Baron nodded and motioned for the small boy to join him on a stroll through the dungeons. Nessie floated complacently alongside the ghost, adjusting his clothes to look similar to the ones Severus wore—full-length robes, completely black, with a high collar and, as something he added himself, a slice up the right side to his knee, because he was feeling a bit silly—and getting another twisted smile from the Baron.

"Very well, young companion. I will tell you the tale of a young man named Tom Riddle."

Nessie listened eagerly, terror gripping his heart as he heard the story, and when they passed Peeves in the hall, Nessie grabbed onto him and wouldn't let the poltergeist go.

Of the few students who noticed to the Baron speaking softly to Peeves, none of them particularly cared, and if anyone saw Peeves floating along with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face and with a strange crook in his arm and neck, nobody found it mattered.


	53. Chapter Fiftythree, Busting

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-three:  
Busting

_Better to light one small candle  
__than to curse the darkness._

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **December the Twenty-Sixth**

Nessie sat on the bed in their quarters, staring into the fire as he thought over what the Bloody Baron had told him the day prior. He did not like the tale the Baron had told him. There were too many similarities between the tale of Tom Riddle and how his Severus had grown up, and he did not like that at all. He did, however, firmly ignore the similarities between the way _he_ had personally grown up—before Severus, of course—and the torture and abuse Riddle had suffered, the constant bullying, the insults and physical violence bestowed upon the boy by the bigger boys in the orphanage. Nessie could not understand; the way the Baron had explained it, Dumbledore was aware of every single thing that went on during Riddle's childhood and had effectively molded the boy into the Dark Lord he was now, and was possibly doing a similar thing to Severus if Nessie had understood the Baron correctly.

If there was any option of Severus leaving Hogwarts, Nessie wanted to take it. He wanted Severus out of there before the next sunrise but he knew that was no option. Severus loved Hogwarts, as did Nessie, but Nessie now knew how dangerous Dumbledore was. The old man held far too much power for his own good and the Baron had kept an eye on the man for long enough to know everything, or close enough to everything, that Dumbledore had done to keep himself in such power—intentionally keep children such as Riddle in abusive environments, ignore the plight of such Slytherins as Severus and encourage the Gryffindors who bullied him. It was unfair but Nessie knew enough to know life would always be unfair.

However, as long as he still had Severus, life would be more fair, no matter what they were put through.

(O.o)  
Year: **1971  
**Date: **December the Thirtieth**

Over the past few days, all students who had stayed over Christmas/Yule/Winter Break had noticed a surprising phenomenon: Peeves had begun exclusively pranking and irritating the Headmaster, with shocking assistance from the Bloody Baron and the Fat Friar, who turned out to be quite devious at practical jokes, even if Peeves wouldn't let him around when they set off the dungbombs or dropped a jug of spoiled milk on Dumbledore's head because the Friar would start chortling and give them away.

Peeves and Nessie were sitting in an previously empty room deep in the dungeons, surrounded by a great deal of Dumbledore's belongings: small things, things that would not be immediately missed, such as three socks or a pair of elegant-cut pearl robes, or a few spinning trinkets from the man's office, baubles and all of the buttons off one of Dumbledore's favorite robes. They were putting together a plan for Peeves to stay in the Headmaster's office for one hour blocks once the Break was over, invisible of course, and whenever the Headmaster put something into one of his wastebaskets, emptying the wastebasket on his head. Nessie was going to keep an eye on the old man and let Peeves or the Baron know whenever the Headmaster had a guest so they could prank him extra.

Nessie leaned back in the air, hands carded behind his head and his eyes focused on the ceiling as he listened to Peeves's excited list of more ways they could bother the Headmaster. "We st'll n'ed t' f'cus on th'se Gryff'nd'rs, P'tter 'nd Bl'ck 'nd th'm."

Peeves nodded immediately, picking up one of the small piles of wood the poltergeist had hidden all over the school. "I'll throw sticks at them during their History of Magic classes, Nessie Bessie," his tone surprisingly serious and calm. Nessie flicked a glance over the poltergeist and frowned at the neutral look on his face.

"Y'u kn'w wh't th'y do t' my Sevvie?"

"Of course Peeves knows, silly Nessie Bessie!" Peeves cackled and threw a stick at Nessie, who grimaced reflexively when it went straight through him. "Why, my fine feathered friend"—he ignored Nessie's protest that he wasn't feathered by any means—"have you been sticking your head in the fireplace again? We warned you about that!"

"F'repl'ce?" Nessie repeated, a small dip appearing between his eyebrows. "Why w'uld I b' st'cking my he'd in a f'repl'ce?"

"Because that is what silly birds like you do!"

Nessie rolled his eyes and floated up out of the room, Peeves following eagerly behind as they rose up through the lake, Nessie doing his best to ignore the way his body began to tremble and how his mind screamed at him, and then over Hogwarts grounds. Peeves was rather fond of chasing the centaurs around and Nessie liked learning about their culture, so they went there after Peeves threw the rest of the sticks in his pile at the small boy.

They spent an hour with the centaurs before Nessie wanted to go back. He didn't like being out after dark if Severus wasn't there to accompany him or if he wasn't following Lucius around while Severus was in detention or doing homework or studying with Mulciber and Vaisey. He hadn't realized just how much time he actually spent with Severus until the other boy became so busy with school. But that was alright; Nessie knew Severus needed his education and would be miserable living back with his parents in Spinner's End. Even if Nessie asked, which he knew he wouldn't, he was certain Severus would not willingly leave Hogwarts.

Nessie only wanted to partly leave. He knew they were far safer in Hogwarts than they were in Spinner's End, but now with knowledge of what it seemed Dumbledore was going to have Severus suffer through, Nessie didn't want to stay but knew he had to. He went wherever Severus went, after all, and even if he had a choice in the matter, he would stay with the older boy even until death.

And, anyways, Hogwarts had Lucius.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Severus, with Nessie's hand in his, had finally gotten up the courage to ask Lucius what he had meant by calling the first year 'his' on Christmas, and was waiting for the blond Slytherin to return from dinner. Nessie had been rather uncomfortable with Lucius merely declaring that Severus was his; after all, he had spent the past five years or so assuming Severus was his and he was now wondering if he had been wrong, even if Severus had agreed with him. It wasn't his place, he knew, to simply assume Severus was his when Severus was really Lucius's. He could still be Severus's, he hoped, if Severus was really Lucius's.

Peering up at Severus through his fringe, Nessie moved forward to lean his head against his Severus's chest, closing his eyes at the strong heartbeat against his ear. "I l've y'u," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut before he could start crying. He didn't want to lose Severus to Lucius, he didn't! The two of them had been through too much for him to lose Severus now, but if Severus truly didn't want to be his anymore, there truly wasn't anything Nessie could do about it. "Ple'se d'n't l'ave me," he begged, unable to stop himself. "I c'uldn't l've w'th'ut y'u."

"I am not going anywhere," Severus assured him, and moved to continue but Lucius opened the door and lifted his eyebrows at Severus, standing in the doorway. "Lucius…"

"You wished to speak with me, little Severus?"

Severus nodded and, letting Nessie still hold onto him, pushed to his feet and slipped off the bed, moving over to Lucius, who stepped into the room and softly closed the door behind himself. "Yes, I wanted to ask you what you meant by…" Severus swallowed thickly and dropped his chin to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut and feeling Nessie slip away from him. "What did you mean by calling me yours?"

"Oh, Severus," Lucius whispered and strode forward, crushing Severus to his chest. "Is that what has been bothering you?"

Frantically scanning the room for Nessie and holding his hand out for his boy, Severus nodded quickly. Slowly, as Nessie crept closer, Severus could feel Lucius preparing an answer. The moment Nessie grabbed Severus's hand and held it to his chest, Lucius replied, "Because you are mine. I have protected you, I have helped you and I have claimed you."

"Claimed me?" Severus asked Lucius's chest, keeping his gaze firmly on Nessie's pale face.

"Yes."

"But…"

"No buts, Severus. You are mine and will remain as such. Now let us go—"

"I don't think I want to be yours," Severus rasped, trying to step away but Lucius would not let him, keeping his arms wrapped around the boy's shoulders.

"You do not have a choice. Now come with me. You need to do your homework."

"I have already done it," Severus whispered, and to his surprise, Lucius let him go, stepping away and staring down at the small first year. "What do you want from me?"

Lucius smiled and reached forward, pressing the palm of his hand to Severus's cheek, the gaunt first year automatically leaning into his touch. "Everything you have to give, Severus," Lucius breathed, and bent forward to take the boy in his arms, lifting him up so Severus was forced to let Nessie go. "I want for you to be mine."

Severus looked at Nessie, who bit his lip and then slowly nodded, floating up to rest his head on Severus's shoulder. "Y'u c'n be h's, t'o," Nessie said, and Severus frowned at the lost tone in his boy's voice. "J'st as l'ng as I'm st'll y'urs."

_Always_, Severus mouthed, and turned his head to look up at Lucius. "Very well," he acquiesced, and leaned his head on Lucius's shoulder, unwilling to fight back when Lucius laid him down on the bed and curled them together, and after a moment, Nessie slipped into bed, sighing in pleasure when Severus immediately curled his arms around him.

Invisible, Peeves poked his head through the ceiling and dropped down to float over Lucius. Nessie hadn't said anything about bothering or pranking Lucius…smirking to himself, Peeves ducked under the bed and pulled out the sack of heavy stones he had hidden under there. Quickly and sneakily, he emptied Lucius's pockets and filled them with stones. He winked at Nessie when the small boy turned his head and Nessie smiled weakly at him, rolling his eyes.

Peeves then switched Severus's and Lucius's wands and, making sure Nessie was asleep or at the very least resting his eyes, stuck a few rocks in Severus's pockets as well.


	54. Chapter Fiftyfour, Speculate

**Warning:** mild torture.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-four:  
Speculate

_Act as if what you do makes a difference.  
__It does._

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **January the Ninth**

Severus was woken up rather early on his birthday by a very excited Nessie, who was joined by an overeager Peeves, who was currently blowing in Lucius's ear to wake him up. Lucius made a small irritated sound in the back of his throat and sat up, slowly turning his head to glare at the poltergeist. "Pray tell, little Severus, why are you awake so early on your birthday? It is a Sunday, you should be sleeping in."

Severus shrugged, dipping his head forward and allowing Lucius to pull him into the blond's lap. "I suppose I am simply excited. I've never turned twelve before."

Lucius snorted and turned to swing his legs over the side of the bed, clutching the thin boy close, got out of bed and walked over to the loveseat in front of the fireplace. Flicking his wand at the fireplace, a fire roared up and Lucius turned Severus around in his lap and motioned to the pile of gifts at their feet. "For you, my Severus."

Severus flushed and shifted uncomfortably, resting his back against Lucius's chest. "All of them?" he whispered, unable to stop himself, twisting his lips down at Nessie when the boy knelt down in front of him. Lucius twirled his wand and the presents lifted up and darted over to the cushion next to the two of them, one of them landing in Severus's lap.

"Open it, my own."

Severus did as requested, unpeeling the wrapping back and revealing a small, thin bit of metal hanging from a black leather thong inside half of a heavy oak box. Slowly picking it up, Severus looked over the circular bit of metal and frowned at the elegant engraving—_To keep you safe._ "Keep me safe?"

"Yes. I have imbued the metal with a vast array of protective spells and a few defensive wards. As long as you wear it, it will protect you. I will protect you, my Severus." Lucius seemed to pause for a moment and then continued. "There is also a locator spell upon the necklace that is bound to my wand. If you are ever lost or in trouble, merely touch the leather and ask for me to find you and it will alert me. If I cannot find you, I will activate the locator spell and it will take me to you, no matter where you are."

Severus and Nessie both looked up at Lucius in wonder, and Lucius smirked at the look on Severus's face. "Yes, my Severus. I told you I take care of what is mine."

"And I'm yours," Severus breathed, and turned around in Lucius's lap, handing the older Slytherin his necklace and bowing his head, Nessie floating up behind him, green eyes locked on Severus's new necklace. He had never been able to give Severus anything, but Lucius could. Dropping his gaze to his twisting hands, Nessie backed away and plastered a smile on his drawn face while Severus opened the rest of his gifts—rare, heavy books on ancient potions, new cloaks with fur-lined interiors, thick winter robes and thin, sheer shirts, new boots and elegant-cut summer robes, new quills and thick, expensive parchment, a chest of glorious new potions ingredients and a leather wand holster emblazoned with the Malfoy crest.

Lucius set Severus on his feet and after handing the boy an outfit, bid him to go change. Nessie did not follow, floating in front of Lucius and staring at the blond with wide green eyes. "Th'nk y'u, L'cius," Nessie whispered, a ghosted a kiss over the older man's cheek.

Lucius shuddered at the feeling but directed a smile at the fireplace, and Nessie pretended it was for him.

A few minutes later, Severus stepped out of the small bathroom adjourned to their quarters and Nessie's jaw fell. "Sev'rus," he breathed, "y'u're be'ut'ful."

(O.o)

There were few students in the Great Hall when the Slytherins swarmed in, spreading out over half of their House table and all repeatedly congratulating Severus. Narcissa was the only one who hadn't; she kept staring at the clothes Severus was wearing and being clearly unable to look away, fury in her eyes. She knew Lucius's preference for clothes and it was clear that what Severus was wearing was from Lucius; the poor halfbreed would never know to choose robes that flattered him so well, let alone be able to afford them. She knew that the boy had not been given enough pocket change to buy sweets off the Hogwarts Express trolley on the first ride to school, and Lucius had bought the boy a few chocolate frogs.

She wanted to tear the boy away from her betrothed and demand he never speak to Lucius again, but she knew she had no right. Instead, she turned to her elder sister and had a quiet, whispered conversation with her on the nerve of the boy.

Bellatrix agreed, loudly, drawling about nasty boys to anyone who would listen; namely, Narcissa and Avery, who was listening only because he had the unfortunate luck to have to sit directly across from the two sisters. Avery grunted to himself and glared at his plate, wanting to hit one of them. Logically, he knew he couldn't; even with Lucius being so gaga over Severus, he would still be irritated over Avery hexing his betrothed, and even though Bellatrix and Rodolphus were no closer than strangers, Rodolphus would stick to the pureblood tradition of defending his betrothed.

However, even Avery couldn't look away when Severus leaned forward and a thin metal disk on a leather thong fell out of his shirt, and every Slytherin who saw it went silent. Narcissa pressed her lips together before she could gasp and Lucius sneered at their reactions, putting his hand on the back of the boy's neck and dragging him closer. Mulciber and Wilkes, who were arguing softly over the proper use of the Deprimo jinx, on whether or not it could be used to blast holes in just objects or people as well, paid no attention to the uncomfortable silence around them. Mulciber, always a fan of violence, said he had blasted a hole straight through a rat once, while Wilkes was firmly calling him a liar. Severus was listening intently to their conversation, clearly unaware of the eyes stuck on him and his necklace, clearly more relaxed with Lucius's hand on him.

Severus was pouring another goblet of pumpkin juice for himself when he heard Potter and Black loudly tromp into the Great Hall, and he froze, almost dropping the pitcher of juice. The two Gryffindors had entered the Hall through the entrance from the dungeons and went right by the Slytherin table on the way to the other side of the Great Hall. Black had his wand out and clearly pointed at Severus when they went by, but words failed him when he saw the dark look on Lucius's face. He was well aware of just how dangerous the blond Slytherin was; Lucius had put three Gryffindors in the Hospital Wing the past year, and the rumors going around were that two of those Gryffindors were just from looking at the blond in a way he didn't like, and the other one was the victim of a Dark curse that caused the Gryffindor's liver to slowly disappear. Madame Pomfrey had barely been able to heal the boy, and Lucius had never been officially blamed for the curse, as no one could prove it was him.

Severus looked up at Lucius and quietly thanked him, and everyone around them quickly erupted in conversation. Lucius pulled his boy against his side and pried the pitcher out of his hand, placing it back on the table and making sure Severus's plate was full. "Eat, my own," he murmured, and pet the boy's greasy hair when Severus wordlessly complied, a frown creasing his forehead.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Although Severus had only been missing for about an hour or so, Lucius was on the verge of activating the locator spell on his wand. It felt like there was a security spell on him, something that made him feel like he was being watched by wide eyes, and he had been all over the dungeons searching for Severus, to no avail. It was clear that either the boy was studying for one of his classes the next day somewhere hidden or was being attacked by those marauding Gryffindors again, and Lucius did not want that. Surely Severus would not have forgotten the Salutem around his neck so soon? And wouldn't the boy have activated it if he was being bullied by those boys?

Steeling himself, Lucius took a deep breath and turned down the hall to the entrance to the Slytherin commons, stopping when he saw Severus striding quickly down the hall toward him, clearly talking to someone. Lucius stepped aside into an alcove in the wall and ducked his head to listen better.

"No, Nessie, I don't think he's—well, I understand, but I'll always love you. He's just…he's protecting me! You can't do that, not unless Peeves follows me around all the time and Peeves would rather prank me than protect me! I can't do it myself because the Professors always give me detention if I try anything but those four are never punished. If I have detention then I can't spend time with you! Lucius already takes too much time away from us as it is, and…" Severus stopped and Lucius moved a little so he could see down the hall, eyes falling on Severus looking like he was…kissing the air? Lucius knew the boy was a bit strange but this was beyond that. Severus made a small moaning sound in the back of his throat and Lucius froze, retreating back into the alcove.

A few minutes later when Severus was gone and Lucius was a bit more relaxed, he reset his robes across the line of his shoulders and reentered the corridor and made his way to the section of the wall that would let him gain entrance to the Slytherin commons. Finding the correct stone, Lucius murmured, "newt eyes," and was permitted entry, immediately seeking out Severus and pulling the boy into his lap as he sat them down on a wide armchair near the fire. Once again, he reminded himself to stay patient and that Severus would come to him with the truth in time. It was entirely possible that Severus was delusional and seeing things, and it was also entirely possible that it was something Lucius could not understand.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **February the Thirteenth**

It had been just over a month and Lucius was no closer to finding the answer as to who Severus had been kissing in the hall. He had, however, gotten the boy quite an extravagant Valentine's Day gift, and knew it would please the boy. Frustrated with how poor his investigation was going, Lucius had gotten Mulciber to snatch a Hufflepuff first year and take him to the Room of Requirement—Hufflepuffs screamed the loudest out of all the Houses.

Lucius nodded to Mulciber and firmly locked the Room's door behind him, stepping up to the squirming first year and murmuring a hex under his breath, the first year gasped as his hands and ankles were all tied together behind his back, forcing the boy to his knees. "What is your name?" he asked kindly.

"Kevin Bakersfield," the boy whispered, and peered nervously up at Lucius. "What're you going to do to me?"

"It is certainly a pity you are a Mudblood, Kevin Bakersfield. You would know the answer to that question if you had not stolen your magic."

"I didn't steal anything, Malfoy!"

"_Silencio_. Now, you are going to listen to me and when I remove the spell, I will expect answers. You will not like my response if you do not have answers for me. Now," Lucius motioned for Mulciber to drag a chair over to him, "listen closely." Lucius nodded to the second year Slytherin and sat in the chair the boy sat behind him. "It has been going around this school that my pet has been writing the name 'Nessie' on his notes and has been seen kissing someone in the halls. I must know who this 'Nessie' is and I will go through the entire school to find out. _Finite._"

Bakersfield looked up at Lucius with wide blue eyes, swallowing thickly in the back of his throat. "Someone named Nessie, Malfoy? There isn't anyone in the school with a name that sounds even anything like that!"

Lucius slashed his wand, cutting the rope the bound the boy and grabbed the boy by the neck, pushing to his feet. "I know how this school works, Hufflepuff. You badgers know all the gossip around this place. If one Hufflepuff knows something, the entire House knows it. Now, tell me who Severus Snape is kissing!"

"You?" Bakersfield squeaked, and then he screamed as Lucius layered curse upon curse on him, Mulciber grinning nastily from behind Lucius.

Over an hour later, Madame Pomfrey found a tortured student passed out in the middle of her Infirmary; she would call Dumbledore and they would do everything in their power to figure out how had done such a terrible thing, but would find no leads.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **February the Fourteenth**

The silver ring on Severus's right middle finger clicked against his fork as he moved the eggs on his plate, and when Lucius sat down next to him, Severus turned his head up and smiled shyly up at the blond Slytherin. "Thank you, Lucius," Severus murmured, and flushed nervously when Lucius wrapped a strong arm around his waist and pulled him close.

"You are welcome, my own. Now eat," Lucius told him, and brought his hand up to rest on the back of Severus's thin neck. Severus leaned into Lucius's side for a brief moment before straightening up and quickly clearing his plate.

The two Slytherins left, Lucius keeping his hand on the back of Severus's neck, making the few Slytherins watching them leave raise their eyebrows in amusement. Narcissa and her sisters passed them in the hall on their way back to the commons, and all the three sisters did was raise their eyebrows and Narcissa hid her surprised gasp behind her hand. It was clear to them now—Severus Snape had been claimed, for better or for worse, by Lucius, and Lucius was not letting go.


	55. Chapter Fiftyfive, Party

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-five:  
Party

_The value of an idea lies in the using of it._

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **March the Third**

"Severus, come," Lucius called from inside his prefect quarters, his voice barely making it down to the commons, but Severus immediately packed up his homework and darted out of the commons, Narcissa jealously watching the ring on his right hand glitter in the firelight as he strode past her. Nessie stayed for a few minutes, frowning at Narcissa—they had something in common, it seemed; the ones they loved had priorities other than themselves—and then followed his Severus upstairs, twisting his lips in relief when the butterfly flying around his head momentarily obscured his vision. He knew Severus loved him still; the other boy was just easily distracted, and Nessie presumed it would pass.

Slipping into their quarters, Nessie relaxed down at Severus's feet while Lucius was doing something in the bathroom. His eyes drooped shut and he pushed himself up into Severus's arms when the older boy began petting his hair. "I l've y'u," he breathed and Severus pressed a quick kiss to his lips, arms falling from Nessie's sides once Lucius stepped back into the room.

"Severus, I must ask something of you," Lucius rumbled, pushing his long hair back over his shoulder as he stopped in front of the dark-haired Slytherin. "It is imperative you listen to everything I say and think it over before you answer."

"Of course, Lucius," Severus replied quickly, looking confusedly up at the blond Slytherin, unable to stop himself from patting Nessie's thigh when the small boy moved away, hoping Lucius hadn't seen it.

"There is a small, exclusive club that Slughorn hosts once a month named the Slug Club. I am a member of this Club. Now, Slughorn said the more senior members of his Club are allowed to bring a potential Club member to the March third meeting, which is tonight. I am asking you, would you like to come with me?"

All of Severus stopped; Friday nights were the nights he spent with Nessie. He couldn't…there was no way he could choose Lucius and people he didn't know over Nessie, unless…Severus turned his attention to Nessie and frowned, attempting to ask the question with his eyes. Nessie only nodded, sending Severus a bright smile and motioned for the taller boy to reply to Lucius. "Tell me what these meetings will entail, Lucius," Severus demanded, smirking when the blond gracefully sat on the cushion next to Severus, their legs touching.

Lucius smiled, reaching out and grabbing Severus's right hand, causing Severus's magic to settle and the unkempt boy to relax against the taller man. "Good boy. Now, they are usually dinners with very fine food—nothing up the caliber of the food at Malfoy Manor, of course—and Slughorn attempts to get us all to interact and debate with one another. It is generally done to keep Slughorn entertained and a way for him to gain favors from those who graduate and go on to better things. However, he does have a few good contacts and he is the only person I can go through to get a few things I need."

Knowing better to ask, Severus nodded and smiled briefly at Nessie. Nessie knelt down in front of him and without thinking, Severus reached his hand out and pet the boy's hair. "Yes, I will go with you."

"Who are you touching, Severus?" Lucius asked before he could stop himself.

(O.o)  
**That Night**

Holding Severus's right hand firmly in his left, keeping his thumb pressed against the ring on the boy's finger, Lucius led the gaunt halfbreed into Slughorn's crystal clean office, where the elves had set up a long dinner table. To Lucius's annoyance, one of the Gryffindor sixth years had brought the Mudblood girl his Severus was no longer allowed to speak to. "Keep away from her," Lucius ordered, and let Severus go, moving over to speak with Slughorn.

Severus stayed still for a minute or so and then looked up to see Avery and Lily both stalking toward him. Not wanting to anger Lucius by speaking with Lily, he turned to Avery and waited for the boy to come to him.

Of course, Lily made it to him first. "You've been avoiding me!" she accused, jabbing Severus in the middle of his chest with her wand and then crossing her arms over her chest. "Tell me why."

Severus looked around for Avery, trying to will the boy over with his eyes. He didn't want to do this; he didn't want Lucius mad at him even though Lily was the one that came over to him. "I haven't," he denied, trying to turn away from her but she grabbed his hand, her fingers brushing over his ring. A dark feeling swept through him, a sickening feeling of wrongness, and Severus staggered back, one hand clamped to his mouth as he did his best to get away from her. The silver ring was imbued with Lucius's magic (and a bit of Nessie's, which Severus had put in himself) and it was clear that if anyone else touched it, it made him sick. "Don't touch me!"

"Are you sick? Have any of them hurt you?" Lily asked quickly, reaching out for him again, those green eyes soft with concern.

Before Severus could answer, Avery was between them and he shoved her away, hissing about nosy Mudbloods under his breath. By now, Severus knew better than to argue about using that word. "Where's Lucius?" he whispered; Lucius was the only one that could make him feel any better. "Get her away from me."

Avery nodded and shoved Lily away, calling for Lucius as he did so. The blond Slytherin left Slughorn's side and pushed his way through the gathered students to make it to his Severus before the Mudblood girl touched him again. "Do not touch him," he snarled, and nodded once to Avery before pulling Severus up against him and intertwining their fingers. "Quiet. She is no longer touching you."

Feeling his magic settle, Severus nodded and pulled away from Lucius, peering up at the blond through his hair. "Thank you," he murmured, and allowed Lucius to lead him over Slughorn, who was dressed in bottle green robes with white ruffles. "Hello, Professor."

"Ah, Mr. Snape. Are you alright?" Slughorn asked, voice sharp with concern.

"Yes, Professor. I—"

"Severus suffers from dreadful headaches, Professor Slughorn," Lucius interjected, making sure his fingers were still touching Severus's ring. Slughorn looked quickly from their touching hands to Severus's pale face.

Severus swallowed and ducked his head, hiding his face. "Have all my life, Professor."

"Well, as long as you're alright," Slughorn bellowed, clapping Severus on the back and causing the boy to gag when Slughorn's hand brushed along the skin of his neck. Slughorn nodded meaningfully to Lucius and moved away, leaving Lucius to pull Severus away to the side of the office and off into a little recess behind a jutting storage shelf.

"Hush," Lucius whispered, holding Severus's right hand in both of his. "No one will touch you again." The ring's magic felt a bit strange to him but Lucius firmly pushed that thought away; this was not the time. The boy's magic needed a bit of time to settle and Lucius was determined to help him.

Something cold slicked over Lucius's hand and he saw Severus's eyes brighten, his unoccupied left hand move as if it was clutching someone's fingers in between his own. Lucius's gaze narrowed but he did not say anything; as with earlier, he figured the boy would simply not answer his question. His boy was really quite stubborn, and while Lucius could respect that, it did not mean he particularly liked it.

So, Lucius merely held the boy for a few long minutes until he felt Severus settle down, and then the two Slytherins waded back into the party, Severus firmly attached to Lucius's hand and it was clear to everyone around them that Lucius was not going to let go.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Severus firmly held his hand to his stomach, holding in a pained groan. He hadn't ever eaten such rich foods and it was clearly irritating his stomach, but he didn't want to be a bother by asking Lucius if they could leave early. It was clear that Lucius was in his element here—back ramrod straight, shoulders aligned and his chin held high, that dear voice smooth and melodic with a hint of arrogance tucked into the corners, with every eye at the table on him, even Lily's—and Severus, in the moments it felt like his stomach wasn't trying to force its way out through his skin, watched in barely concealed awe. Although he knew he would never care enough about other people's opinions of him to work on having even the most mediocre of social skills, he could appreciate a good politician when he saw one, and Lucius was clearly going to go far with his slick personality and fetching looks. Even Lily was hanging off the Slytherin's every word and Severus knew she hated him.

Presently, as much as Severus was able to grasp with his stomach feeling like it was going to burn its way up through his mouth, Lucius was speaking on the current politics in the Ministry of Magic, but as Severus found few things as boring as politics and the general population, he turned his attention down the table to peer nervously through his hair at Lily. She, to Severus's mild surprise, was nodding slowly along with what the Slytherin was saying, as was most everyone at the table.

Severus carefully disengaged his hand from Lucius's own and clasped that one over his stomach as well, gaining a concerned glance from the older boy. He resolutely held in all sounds of discomfort and focused instead on his knees, keeping half his concentration on the pain in his gut and the other half on Lucius.

Clearly, however, half wasn't enough when he heard his name being spoken in a dark tone. Severus looked up again to see nearly all of the Slug Club members staring opening at him, with Lucius repeating his name again. "Yes?"

"Answer my question."

"What was it?"

Lucius frowned but quickly repeated himself, "What is your opinion on the banning of the Cruor Incisura Potion?"

Severus frowned for a moment, trying to remember if he had had an opinion at all when Lucius had told him about that a week or so ago. "Well, it doesn't quite make any sense, as the Blood Line potion—which is technically classified as a poison because of the antimony and if brewed by anyone less than a Master, it is generally considered fatal—is the only manner of verifying lineage that the Wizarding world has. We have no spells that give consistent results; one of the most common, the _Genus_ spell, generally does not give regular results and has been shown to be terribly flawed. It's quite clear that the Ministry's Potion department does not know what they are doing."

Severus saw Lucius smirk darkly at Slughorn before he dropped his gaze back to his knees again, and his reply generated quite a bit of discussion. Lily, of course, being the bold girl she was, was vehemently arguing the opposite point, that it was correct of the Ministry to ban the potion, especially if it was truly a poison. Adrian, a Slytherin who always had a magical camera somewhere on him, was arguing Severus's point with Lily, trying to show her that even if it was a Dark potion, that was still no reason to ban it. After all, they used potentially Dark curses all the time in class, such as _Duro_, which could potentially turn a human to stone, or the Disarming Charm, which could kill a person if used with enough force. Avery also mentioned Severus's argument from earlier in the year on Dark curses—one could Summon a person's heart or how a great deal of Light wizards used the Fidelius Charm on their homes—all of which went right over Lily's head. While the girl was smart, she didn't spend all her time reading books like Severus did, and, like most Gryffindors, did not have the advantage of knowing spells before they were taught in school.

Severus shook his head at that thought and peered up at Lucius, feeling the blood drain away from his face as saliva pooled in his mouth. "Will you show me where the bathroom is?" he asked softly, immediately gaining Lucius's full attention.

"Of course. Excuse us," Lucius said to the table, and then stood, pulling Severus's chair out for him. Frowning at the action, Severus flushed when he had to jump down from his chair and scurry after the blond Slytherin, trying to quickly swallow the pooling saliva in his mouth, feeling his stomach start to loudly rebel. "It is only just down the hall, my Severus."

Ignoring the sudden churning of his stomach and the way Severus felt as if he was about to faint, Severus trudged along right behind Lucius, silently urging the blond to walk faster. He could feel the bile rising in his throat and wished terribly that he did not throw up all over Lucius's elegant robes. While he knew the Malfoy would forgive him, Severus never did like ruining clothes. Having worn the same clothes nearly all his childhood, Severus always been taught it was in bad taste to have to throw clothes away, and whenever he happened to rip his clothes, which wasn't very often as he wasn't the most active of children, his mother always carefully sewed them back up, doing her best to make sure the job wasn't even noticeable.

Sighing to himself, Severus pushed past Lucius once he saw the door to the bathroom and ducked inside, throwing himself into the nearest cubicle and curling over the toilet, waiting for his food to come back up. Lucius did something that made a comfortable chair appear in the doorway to the cubicle and sat down in it, leaning forward to rub his hand up and down the gaunt boy's back. "You are still too skinny," Lucius murmured, bring his hand up to touch each and every jutting vertebrae, causing Severus to sigh happily and try to lean back into the touch while still keeping his head over the toilet. "Have you gained no weight the seven months you have been here?"

"Don't know," Severus whined, and looked up when he heard a soft sound coming from behind Lucius to see Nessie and Peeves both looking worriedly at him.

"You are far too skinny. I will order Nutrition and Restorative Potions for you and you will begin taking them at every meal. It is unhealthy for you to be so thin," Lucius said, turning his head to see Peeves. "If you hurt him or bother him in any manner, poltergeist, I will have my father remove you from the school."

Peeves looked thoughtfully at Lucius and turned his head to look at Nessie, who only floated over Lucius to get a better look at Severus's pale, drawn face. "S'ck?" Nessie asked worriedly, causing Severus to slowly nod and lean back into Lucius's touch. "L'cius t'ke c're of y'u?" Severus nodded again, wishing he had the strength to sit up and pull his boy into his arms. "G'od. P'eves 'nd I w'll st'y 'ut of th' w'y, th'n." Severus twisted his lips and then groaned, turning himself back over the toilet bowl and gagging as his dinner began to come back up.

A few moments later, Severus sat back against Lucius's legs as the older Slytherin Banished the nasty mess in the bowl, opening his arms so Nessie could curl up in his lap. The small boy did as wished of him and sat in Severus's lap, ducking his head so it could fit under Severus's chin. To Severus's surprise, his boy was bigger than he remembered; when had Nessie grown without him noticing? He wanted to say something but was nervous of what Lucius would say; how could he explain Nessie, after all? In thinking about it, he _couldn't_ explain Nessie. Nessie was a small, abused boy that no one other than Severus could see, a boy that fit Severus's needs perfectly and could only be seen by ghosts and the resident poltergeist. It would make Severus look nutters and possibly drive Lucius away from him.

Severus couldn't survive Hogwarts without Lucius's protection, he just knew he couldn't. The Gryffindors' treatment of him was terrible enough and Severus knew it would escalate even more if he drove Lucius away, so he had to do what Lucius wanted to keep himself safe.

Somehow, both Nessie and Lucius ended up touching the ring on Severus's right hand, and, overwhelmed with the magic encasing him, closed his eyes and fell asleep, holding on to the most precious people in his life for all he was worth.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **March the Fourth**

Severus scowled at the third time a Slug Club member came over and asked him if he was alright, firmly turning away and ignoring the sixth year Slytherin. Lucius had coddled him enough and while Severus secretly appreciated that, he didn't want anyone else touching him. Other than Nessie of course, but that was a given. When someone else stepped up and softly asked him if he was alright, Severus spun around and snarled, "Go away! I'm not dead, I'm fine!"

It was Lily, with wide green eyes sucking him in. She frowned at him and Severus wanted to apologize but couldn't. "Professor Slughorn said you were pretty sick," she told him, and Severus bit back a sneer.

"I'm fine," he ground out, and moved to turn back around but a small hand on his stopped him. Severus gagged again as he tried to wrench his hand away but Lily seemed to be a bit stronger than he was. "Let me go!"

"No, not until you tell me why you've been avoiding me, Sev," Lily demanded, narrowed green eyes taking in his strange, mismatched outfit and the still-uneven cut of his hair, the Salutem hanging from his neck and the grey-green pallor of his face. She moved her hand to get a better grasp on his fingers and felt her flesh touch something cold and metal; looking down, she saw a thin silver ring on Severus's right middle finger, gleaming against his sallow skin. "Why're you wearing a ring?"

"Let go of me," Severus rumbled, and tried again to tug his hand away, slapping a hand over his mouth when Lily intentionally brushed her finger along his ring. "Don't touch that, Lily, please."

"What's it doing to you? You need to take it off!"

Merlin, he would do anything to flush his system of that terrible feeling of _wrongness_ that encompassed him whenever someone other than Lucius or Nessie touched him, and Severus felt his left hand move toward his ring as if to pull it off. Just as long as his magic stopped rebelling, he would do anything…

"Step away from him this instant, Mudblood." Severus looked up relief when he heard Lucius's dark voice come from his left, and he peeled his eyes open to look up at the blond Malfoy. "_Now_." To Severus's relief, Lily stepped away, releasing her grip on his hand. "Come, Severus. I told you not to defile yourself by associating with such…trash."

Severus nodded and scrambled out of his seat, stumbling over to Lucius and blindly following the older boy out of the Hall, desperate to just get away from the stares. Once they were in the dungeons, Lucius reached down and grabbed Severus's hand, making sure the boy's ring touched his skin, and smirked at Severus's audible sigh of relief. "She came over to me," Severus finally told him, peering up to meet Lucius's silver-grey eyes as they glinted in the green light of the deeper dungeon halls.

"I know. I merely needed a reason to pull you out of there as quickly as possible. I am not mad at you, Severus, rest assured."

Severus nodded once, feeling some tight tension in his gut relax, and he let Lucius lead him to the Slytherin commons and cloister them away in Lucius's prefect quarters. Nessie joined them on the bed, Severus in the middle, and Nessie pressed a kiss to Severus's cheek just as Lucius slipped both his and Severus's shirts off, pulling the boy into his arms, intent on assisting his boy by having as much skin-on-skin contact as possible. Nessie watched jealously as Lucius splayed a hand low on Severus's abdomen and refrained from sticking his hands through the blond's wrists to keep him away from his Severus.

But he had to share Severus now, and could do nothing about that.

* * *

A quick note: I know the last few chapters have been focused mostly on Severus and Lucius, with just a bit of Nessie thrown in. Don't worry, this will change soon. It's important to the plot, so please be patient.

-Replacement


	56. Chapter Fiftysix, Break

**Warning:** a wee bit of voyeurism.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-six:  
Break

_Alone. Yes, that's the key word,  
__the most awful word in the English tongue.  
__Murder doesn't hold a candle to it  
__and hell is only a poor synonym.  
_Stephen King

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **March the Thirty-first**

Severus kept his gaze on his dull shoes as he was perfunctorily examined by Abraxas and Callidora Malfoy, Lucius's parents, in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor. He had not gotten the chance to change out of his school clothes, and this outfit was particularly burnt and stained as he had been experimenting with moonseed and shredded Dittany, which turned out to be rather explosive and flammable. He had wanted to make something that could repair scars infested with poison, but hadn't had much luck. Lucius had promised to supply Severus with any ingredients he could possibly need and had encouraged the gaunt boy to experiment to his heart's content.

Nessie was standing next to Lucius, half-asleep and leaning back on the wall behind him, eyes lidded and trying to stay open to focus on Severus. He had easily gotten through the extensive wards on Malfoy Manor, but the effort had clearly tired him out, just as going through the Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross had done. Severus wanted to look up at him but didn't move, afraid of seeing the looks on the two Malfoys' faces. It wouldn't particularly bother him if they didn't like him, but Severus knew it would bother Lucius, and since Lucius was his protector, Lucius's opinion mattered.

"Hold out your hand," Abraxas ordered, his voice deeper than Lucius's, with the same arrogance in the corners, and before Severus could move, a rough hand snatched up his right hand and he gagged as the now-too-familiar sensation of wrongness flooded his system, his magic rebelling and his gut feeling like it was made of snakes. It only took a moment for Abraxas to examine the ring on Severus's finger, but it was a moment too long. "Good craftsmanship and spellwork, Lucius," Abraxas murmured to his son, and stepped forward again to reach abruptly into Severus's shirt and snatch his Salutem off his head. "Fascinating, son."

"Father…put it back on him," Lucius rasped, starting to move forward but a dark look from his father stopped him. "It must stay on him."

"Quiet, Lucius," Abraxas bellowed, handing the Salutem over to Callidora, who flicked her wand at it and nodded approvingly at whatever results she saw.

When she spoke, Severus couldn't stop but look up. Her voice was soft and low, filled with song, and it made Severus suddenly, viciously, miss his own mother. He did not say anything, but only stared at her. "Very well made for one done in such short of time, Lucius. You bound it to your wand, I can see, and…interesting. You bound the spells to the leather."

There was an awkward pause in which it was clear Lucius didn't know he was allowed to respond, but then he sniffed and drawled, "Yes, I figured binding the magic to the leather would be smarter than binding it to the metal. The metal can be pulled off but the leather was spelled so no one other than someone of Malfoy blood."

"You bound it to our bloodline?" Abraxas asked, his voice neutral as Callidora handed the Salutem back to Lucius to put on Severus.

Severus bowed his head again as Lucius put the Salutem around his neck, leaning into the blond's touch when Lucius cradled his jaw in his palm, his fingertips stroking the soft skin next to Severus's eyes. "Yes," Lucius murmured, and swung his head around to look at his father, wrapping his free arm around Severus's waist and pulling the boy up against him. "I followed your orders and kept an eye on the boy, and he is more than what I ever could have imagined."

"Later, son. Put our guest to bed; it is getting late."

"Of course, Father," Lucius replied and pulled Severus up to his bedroom, quickly showing Severus where the bathroom was and how to call a house elf if he needed anything. To Severus's relief, Lucius quickly left him alone, Nessie coming out of hiding behind the door and curled up on Severus's chest, vowing to never let him go, whispering over and over again how much he loved Severus. He would show Severus, somehow, that he was enough, that Lucius wasn't necessary to keep him safe.

Severus smiled sleepily as he and Nessie curled together, and as they both fell asleep, he found himself wondering he was somehow pushing Nessie away from him by keeping Lucius around.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the First**

Nessie seemed faintly depressed the next morning as he greedily watched Severus change into simple, elegant-cut black robes with a sheer grey underrobe underneath, a white silk shirt covering his thin chest. Severus wondered if he would get an answer but asked anyway, focusing more on pulling on his boots than Nessie's reply.

"P'eves w's g'ing t' pr'nk th' Gi'nt Sq'id t'day," Nessie whispered, moving over and wrapping his arms around Severus's neck. Nessie pressed himself against Severus and his lips rasped over Severus's neck as he continued, "I…I k'nd 'f m'ss h'm, Sevvie."

"That's fine, Nessie. I can see how you would, as you do seem to spend every moment you're not with me with him, right?"

"Y's, or w'th th' Bar'n," Nessie murmured, and as Severus wrapped his arms around the boy in return, he felt strangely heavy, as if he weighed more than he had the previous time Severus had held him, but Severus also could not remember the last time he had held his boy as such. In fact, he was certain he hadn't held his boy so close since the night of the Slug Club dinner. Pushing Nessie away with that heavy thought in mind, Severus dropped his gaze back down his boots when Lucius stalked into the room, unsure if he looked presentable.

"Come, Severus," Lucius ordered, and stood near the door, one hand held out for Severus to take. Severus obeyed, feeling his magic settle even more as Lucius's fingers wrapped around his own and touched his ring. "We are going to breakfast with my parents, and then my mother will take you to the potions lab we have in the basement while I speak with my father. She will not touch you, I will make sure of that. Are you ready?"

Severus nodded, clutching Lucius's hand even harder as he was led out of the room, uncomfortable with being stared at by Lucius's parents again. He couldn't tell if they liked him or not but he figured that Lucius would have done something to make him change for the week they were there if Abraxas and Callidora did not like him, not like Severus cared one way or the other. He just didn't like being stared at.

Lucius led Severus down the hallway, the small boy turning his head at the last moment to see Nessie standing just outside the doorway to Lucius's room, staring solemnly after them as they left him. Severus held in his gasp and restrained himself from running back, feeling Lucius's hand fall from his and take its place on the back of his neck.

Severus smiled behind the curtain of his hair but made sure the expression was off his face when they entered the dining room, not meeting either of Lucius's parents' gazes as he took the seat Lucius pulled out for him, closer to Abraxas than he was to Callidora. "How was your night?" Abraxas boomed, and Severus frowned, looking through his hair at the Malfoy Lord. Lucius took the seat to Severus's right, reaching over and resting his hand on Severus's thigh. Severus stared down at it for a moment, uncomfortable, and then ignored the strange swooping sensation in his stomach.

"Well," Severus replied stiffly, and looked back down at his plate, lifting a hand a tracing the delicate designs on the outer rim—two stags fighting, a wolf and a beautifully carved lily inlaid with pearl. He felt uncomfortable at the sight and turned his head to peer at Lucius, who gently squeezed his thigh and it almost felt like the blond moved his hand higher, but Severus pretended not to notice, only resting his right hand on top of Lucius's left in his lap, feeling his magic relax at the skin-to-ring contact.

"Mine was well, also," Abraxas told the boy, and Severus frowned down at his plate, wondering why he would care.

"That's nice."

The table shuddered with the force of the Malfoy Lord's laugh, and it seemed forced to Severus, who flinched away from the sound, unwilling to look up. "I like this one, Lucius. Keep him around. Darby!"

A house-elf appeared and snapped its fingers, covering the table with a breakfast feast. Lucius served Severus a bowl of plain porridge and filled his own plate, and once their goblets were full and they were settled, Lucius put his hand back on Severus's thigh, content with eating his meal using only one hand. Lucius waited until his parents had begun eating before digging in himself, but Severus had no such manners and immediately began, causing Callidora to shoot her son an amused little smile. It was clear to her and her husband that while the boy seemed to be a bit strange and anti-social, their son was quite fond of him, and that was good enough for them.

(O.o)

Lucius stood in the hallway outside his father's office as he watched Severus and his mother walk away, crossing his arms over his chest and immediately retreating back into the office when his father murmured his name. A wave of Abraxas's wand closed the door behind Lucius and Lucius took his usual seat in front and just to the left of Abraxas's wide desk, crossing his right leg over his left and carding his hands in his lap, keeping his gaze on his father.

The two Malfoys stared at each other for a few minutes before Abraxas smirked and said, "I do like that boy of yours, Lucius. He seems to have taken a shine to you."

"Yes, of course, father. I have protected him from a few Gryffindor bullies over the past eight months and have given him unlimited access to any potion ingredient I can buy. He is very bright and has a knack, like none I have seen before, for potions and Dark Arts. It is like nothing I have seen before. He was able to successfully cast the Imperius Curse the first time he tried, and has brewed poisons the Dark Lord would be proud of."

At the last sentence, Abraxas's eyes flashed and he frowned at his son, fingering his wand. "Are you attempting to recruit him?"

"Of course not. I have already recruited him. He would follow me to death. One cannot accept the Salutem without complete trust in the one that gifts it, and the ring on his finger would not have accepted his magic with mine if he did not already have loyalty to me. You know this, Father."

Abraxas lifted his wand. "Do not test me, boy."

Lucius ducked his head and dropped his gaze from his father's, murmuring a soft apology. When he continued, his voice was gentler, without the arrogant edge Nessie was so used to hearing. The small boy sat next to the fireplace, legs crossed and his chin resting on his hand as he studied Lucius, wondering if what he had seen at breakfast was the truth of his and Severus's relationship. He didn't know if he was comfortable with Severus being in a relationship with someone else, but it wasn't as if there was anything he could do about it. Just because he belonged to Severus—and he did—didn't mean Severus belonged to him back. He could believe Severus was his all he wanted, but that didn't mean it was true.

"Although he is a bit odd, he has a fantastic mind. I have engaged him in debates my own year-mates would not understand, yet he grasps abstract concepts such as wandless magic with ease, and I even watched him attempt wandless magic without prior training or instruction, _and_ he managed to Summon his wand part of ten meters to him." Lucius met his father's gaze and held in his smirk at the impressed look on Abraxas's face. "He is only twelve years old, and can do magic I have never seen done before by someone of his age."

"What Dark spells has he cast?"

"Imperius and Cruciatus, both on snakes, the Blasting, Cutting and Assassin's Curses, as well as a small bit of work with _Fiendfyre_, which, for only using once, did quite a bit of damage to the room we were in."

"You have been doing this in the unwarded room in the dungeons?"

"Yes, father. He has also been successfully alienated from a Mudblood he associated with, and will be joining the Slug Club at the end of this month. It is a pity, however, that he is a halfbreed…" Lucius trailed off as Abraxas sighed and shook his head.

"Yes, a dear pity. However, with the talents he has, I am certain the Dark Lord will look past such a defect and accept him anyway. You might want to…get him used to physical pain, so to speak."

"The Dark Lord would punish him for something that is not even his fault?"

"Of course he will, son. The Dark Lord is unforgiving in his quest for blood purity, and your little pet is only half-pure. Do you know the pure side of his lineage?"

Lucius frowned as he thought about it, turning his head to stare into the fire. "Prince line, I believe."

Abraxas's eyebrows rose and he sat back in his chair. "Well, my son, that changes things."

Nessie floated out of the room, wondering if there were any ghosts haunting the Manor.

(O.o)

Severus followed Callidora into the massive potions lab residing in half of the basement in Malfoy Manor, not daring to look around, apprehensive of what he might see. He didn't know this woman, and just because she seemed nice when she was around Lucius and her husband, that didn't mean she would be nice now they were alone. He could feel her smiling, however, and chanced a glance up through his hair at her. She really was rather pretty.

"May I call you Severus?" she asked, and her voice was like music. Oh Merlin, he missed his mum.

"If you must," he muttered, and turned his attention to the lab, his entire body freezing with surprise. It was everything Lucius had told him, of course it was, and _more_; there were ingredients he hadn't even heard of, piles and piles of them, with caldrons of every shade and texture and size, from gold to oxidized copper, and tubes of ingredients such as freely given silver dracorn tail hair, runespoor scales and flitterby wings. He wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Severus strode immediately to the closest ingredient shelf and started examining the phials with a careful, practiced eye.

"Would you like me to leave you alone then, Severus? It is clear you are comfortable here…" her voice trailed off with a smile as Severus firmly ignored her, turning a phial of something or other around to fully look at it. "I will send Lucius down when he and Abraxas are finished."

Callidora smiled gently at the boy and then left; it was moments like these she wished they had not betrothed their son so early.

(O.o)

Lucius knocked on the door to the potions lab and then opened it without waiting for an answer, slipping in and shutting the door behind himself, peering around the darkened room for Severus. Upon seeing his boy peering down into a boiling caldron, Lucius hid his smile and stepped over to the boy, wrapping his arm around Severus's waist. Severus grunted at the contact and twisted his head to stare blankly up at Lucius, who lifted his hand to push Severus's thick hair out of his face. "What are you working on?"

Severus shook his head away from Lucius's touch and picked up a silver stirring rod, dipping it into the potion and stirring it widdershins seven times before taking the stirring rod out and delicately wiping it off with a dirty cloth before turning his attention back to the blond. "The Déjà Vu Potion. It is to be taken directly after an episode of déjà vu and will reveal what alternate dimension the incident is being experienced in at the same time."

"Have you ever brewed it before, my Severus?"

Severus threw Lucius a nasty look as he picked up a jar of Flobberworm mucus. "Of course not. Why would I brew something I had brewed before?"

Lucius smirked and stepped away, leaning back against the wall to his right, content just to watch.

Twenty minutes later, Severus extinguished the fire underneath the caldron and stepped back, frowning down at the book he picked up. "You'll have to help me with this next part, Lucius," Severus told him, and Lucius replied immediately in the affirmative. "Good. Come here." When Lucius did not move, Severus's head swung around and he stared nervously at the blond. "Er…please?"

Lucius smirked and complied, holding the phials as Severus directed while Severus put on thin dragonhide gloves and used a dipper to ladle the potion out. Although Severus did not notice, Abraxas, with Nessie floating beside him, watched from the doorway, his lips twisted in a smile.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Second**

Lucius stepped into his quarters and froze at the sound of the shower running from inside his bathroom. For a moment, he considered leaving or going over to his bookcase and waiting, but Lucius knew himself quite well and knew what he was going to do. Quickly removing his robes, he threw them on the bed as he stalked over to the bathroom, waving his wand at the door to silence any sound the knob or the hinges could make. One could not be too careful, after all.

Lucius tapped the tip of his wand to the doorknob and watched it turn, the door slipping open just enough for him to be able to see his shower. Once he had been able to choose his own room, Lucius had chosen this one for this very reason: the shower was open, with a direct view from the door to the shower. He had always been aware—oh, Slytherin. Severus was _perfect_. Long legs, with that scar Lucius had touched before on his right hip, sallow skin and a thin chest, visible ribs and a cock to match that overlarge nose. He was an angel hidden behind those heavy old clothes he insisted on wearing.

He—a Malfoy, a dignified, elegant Malfoy!—actually bit his lower lip when Severus's slender fingers pulled back through his long, uneven hair to rinse out the suds, and he had to turn his head and look away when Severus bent over a few minutes later to pick up the soap. Lucius watched a few minutes longer, burning the sight of Severus slick with soap and water into his mind before stepping away and dropping himself onto his bed, taking care of a problem that had risen up with a few quick rough rubs.

By the time Severus was dry and dressed, Lucius was completely redressed in his robes, lounging back on his bed and reading a book, and if he pulled Severus into his lap with a small smirk, then that was his own business.

Unseen by both Slytherins, Nessie sat in the darkest corner of the room, palms pressed to his eyes, images of showers and fat men in his head. At his feet, a crafted magic rose, made from love, lay shattered, even as the butterfly fluttered around his head.

* * *

Please remember: this will be canon pairings only, with the addition of Severus/Nessie and Lily loves Severus, not the other way around. There will be no other people put together that are not together in canon, except for one couple that won't happen until 1973 and does not involve Severus or Nessie. Please review.


	57. Chapter Fiftyseven, Parchment

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-seven:  
Parchment

_Love is the triumph of  
__imagination over intelligence.  
_H.L. Mencken

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Fourth**

Lucius leaned back in his chair as he watched his father sign a few parchments and then push the documents away with a pensive look on his pale face. Lucius kicked his feet out and crossed them at the ankles, carding his hands at his hips, content to wait until his father deigned to speak about what he had summoned Lucius here for. Abraxas knotted his hands in front of his face and rested his chin atop them, shrewd silver-grey eyes locking Lucius in place.

"The portraits informed me that your boy has been seen talking to thin air in a quite a few places, Lucius."

Lucius frowned, not moving from his position as he thought over his reply. "Yes, he does that on occasion. I have asked him about it and he does not reply. I have thought of hiring a ghoul speaker or something of the sort."

"You are very fond of spending my money," Abraxas noted with a smirk before he continued. "I will not allow someone with a possible mental disorder to be tied to the Malfoy bloodline. I was willing to look over his halfbreed status because of his Prince half, but I will not allow a possible taint upon our line by his cerebral issues. It might not show up for a few generations but since his blood will be soon mixed with ours, I will not take the chance. I demand you fix the boy before his problem gets any worse, or take the Salutem and the ring away from him. You would be allowed to keep him, I will not stop you from that, but I will not allow any possible taint on our line."

"I understand, Father."

"Good. Now, tell me what you are going to do about it."

Lucius sat up and stared deep into the roaring, heatless fire as he thought, a stiff look upon his face. It was clear to Abraxas that his son would be taking a bit to answer, so he turned back to his work, setting aside the forms Lucius and Severus would both have to sign to attach Severus to the Malfoy line. Slowly, Lucius began to reply, his mind still clearly lost in thought. "The boy is clearly faithful to me. He has given up a childhood friend and, although unknown, part of his magic—the ring bound him fully to me. Although he has already shown an aptitude for mind magic, I can rip through his natural mental wards and figure out if he is delusional or not, and then Obliviate the knowledge from him so he does not know. I have asked quite a few times but he simply does not answer. It is possible he does not know he is speaking to someone who is not there. Or, I can work with him on Legilimency and go through his mind when he is focused on my own memories or something of the sort. I can also go through his dreams when he is asleep or manipulate him into telling me, but I feel that with Severus, the direct approach is best."

When Lucius finally turned his attention to his father, he twisted his lips at the faintly shocked look on Abraxas's face. "You honestly care for him," Abraxas said, and Lucius frowned but nodded. "I would go with the first option. Permanently Obliviate the memory, son, do not just block it. If he is as powerful and talented as you claim him to be, you will need his loyalty in the future, and you do not want him to turn against you because of a mistake you made in the past. I have the forms here for him to join our line so this must be done by tomorrow night. I presume you will not need assistance."

"No, Father. I will return to you when I have accomplished your request of me." With that, Lucius pushed to his feet and after adjusting his robes, strode smoothly out of his father's office.

He moved silkily down the halls, intending on meeting Severus in the potions lab, but ran across him sitting outside the library, head stuck in a thick book, and the second Severus glanced up to see who it was, Lucius entered his mind, slicing through the thin wards on the boy's mind and seeking out memories on the invisible boy.

_Severus lay curled up in between two forms, one Lucius's and the other, a small, pale boy covered in scars, with green eyes and a perfect red mouth, delicate features and messy hair, dwarfed in clothes that would fit Lucius. Severus's eyes were open and his hand was resting atop of Lucius's on his lower stomach as he stared at the beautiful boy. The boy sighed and turned over to flick his gaze between Severus and the sleeping Lucius. He opened his mouth and said something Lucius could not understand, but Severus seemed to comprehend completely and replied, "Yes," and he said something that sound like a name, "but I love you far more."_

_The scene faded and rematerialized…_

_Severus wrapped his arms around a thin waist and pulled the same boy from before close and carefully, their lips met, and Lucius watched greedily as their tongues twisted together and he stopped when the boy's tongue looked…wrong, like a part of it was gone, and he felt part of him start to burn when the boy pulled Severus's tongue out of his mouth and lazily sucked on it, a heady dark look in those expressive green eyes. The two boys' mouths separated and the green-eyed boy whispered something that sounded like 'I love you', but Lucius wasn't sure._

_The scene faded and rematerialized…_

_The green-eyed boy—_

Lucius froze and tried to gasp, but his mind wouldn't let him; furious black eyes stared into his as Severus slowly pushed to his feet, keeping their gazes connected as he snatched Lucius's wand out of his limp hand. Lucius was frozen in a block of memories Severus had seen in Nessie's mind and Severus could hear his faint moans as he lived what Nessie had suffered through for so many years.

"Why did you think you could break into my mind so easily, Lucius?"

Lucius made a soft, confused sound in the back of his throat and Severus drew a few of Nessie's memories away. "Only eleven…"

"_Obliviate_. You achieved whatever goal your father sent you to do and the memories of mine that you saw are blocked. The person I have been talking to is an imaginary friend. Now, comfort me, then return to you father and tell him of your accomplishments." Severus swished Lucius's wand one last time and then shoved it back into the blond's hand, slumping down and staring glassily up at Lucius, waiting for the taller Slytherin to regroup and regain awareness.

Lucius shook himself out whatever daze the Legilimency had stuck him in and he looked concernedly down at the gaunt boy just as he whispered Lucius's name and his head fell forward, hair curtaining off his face as his hands trembled in his lap. Lucius tucked his wand away in his robes and knelt down, pulling Severus into his lap, sneering to himself. It was clear that Severus just had an invisible friend he hadn't grown out of yet, but a few potions would help take care of that. "You will have to take a few extra potions for the next few days, pet. It will help with the headaches I know you've been having."

Severus groaned and twisted his hands in Lucius's robes, holding the broader blond close, shuffling closer and pulling Lucius down so Severus could curl up in his lap. "How did you know about my headaches?"

Lucius smirked, twining his arms around Severus's thin waist and tucking their pelvises together. "The skin creases right between your eyebrows, little Severus," he crooned, and reached up to tap Severus right between those bushy brows. Severus smirked and when Lucius's hand moved down to cradle his cheek, he leaned into the touch with a contented turn of his lips. The two Slytherins stayed in the embrace for a few minutes longer before Lucius gently set Severus to the side and smoothly stood up, petting the boy's greasy hair before striding off to his father's office.

He stopped to talk to a few portraits to ask if they had seen who his Severus had been speaking with, but none of them had, although they had seen the boy speaking to what seemed to be thin air a few times, and one had seen Severus crowding an empty corner and apparently kissing the air. Uneasily, Lucius shook his head and uncomfortably strode away, feeling the portraits' eyes on his back, and he shuddered, his robes shivering about him.

It was only minutes until he stopped in front of his father's office, but it felt like years.

Lucius tapped on the door and waited for his father to admit him into his office. A few seconds later, his father called out for him to enter and Lucius complied. He sat in the chair just to the left of his father's desk and waited to be acknowledged; it took only a minute for his father's silver-grey eyes to turn upon him and Abraxas raised an eyebrow, listening intently as Lucius recapped his incident with Severus.

After Lucius finished, Abraxas moved a few parchments on his desk around and then held one out to Lucius. "I am proud of you, son. Have your boy sign this parchment and Severus will be accepted into our bloodline. Will the boy be assisting you with brewing the potions for him?"

As Lucius took the parchment, he shook his head. "No, Father. He is far too bright to believe it is a Headache Remedy. He will figure it out once he sees the ingredients." Lucius pushed to his feet and at his father's nod, excused himself and went to sit in his room, intent on looking the bloodline parchment over. He was not signing anything until he was certain he knew exactly what he would be getting Severus into. Knowing his father, Abraxas would have added a few hidden clauses or such to keep Severus loyal and permanently bound to the Malfoy line, not that Lucius had a problem with such, but he wished to know.

He had been correct; there were two clauses indicating that Severus, once he signed and transferred blood to the parchment, would be permanently attached to the Malfoy bloodline, not at Lucius's mate but as someone belonging to him. There was also a secrecy clause—Severus would not be able to reveal any secrets told to him by someone of the Malfoy bloodline except with someone he shared a mind/soul bond with, and as Lucius figured it, there wasn't anyone masochistic enough to willingly bond with Severus. On thinking about it, Lucius added a clause indicating that Severus could be Marked by another if he had Lucius's permission. He wasn't recruiting the boy for nothing, after all. Sneering to himself, Lucius the second line and pressed the pad of his thumb to the small box next to his name. The magic in the paper pricked it and he left a small smudge of blood next to his flourished signature.

Lucius returned to the library, lowly calling Severus to him as he approached the quiet boy. Severus pushed his book aside and flapped over to him, those dark eyes wide and eager, a thin smile twisting Severus's lips. Lucius dropped gracefully into a seat and pulled his boy into his lap, waiting a few moments for them both to get comfortable before he began.

"Severus, do you trust me?"

Severus's head began nodding before he even processed the question, and he leaned back into Lucius's chest as he gave a soft sigh of content. "Of course I do, Lucius," he murmured, and ducked his head forward and Lucius's arm draped low around his waist.

Lucius held the bloodline parchment out to his boy and smirked to himself when Severus immediately took it, black eyes brightening as he quickly read through the contract. The Malfoy heir moved his hand so it rested upon Severus's right hand, smirking when Severus slumped back into him. "If you trust me, you'll sign this. It will help keep you safe."

He could see the uncertainty in Severus's shoulders as the boy turned his head to look up at him. Lucius met those deep black eyes and smiled gently, wordlessly guiding Severus's hand to the parchment. "Sign, pet."

* * *

A/N: I am going to attempt to write 50,000 words for this story for NaNoWriMo. That will put this story at about 130,000 words (hopefully) but the end of the month. I hope each chapter will be about 3000-4000 words, updated either daily or every other day. I would sincerely appreciate support and reviews.  
Starting word amount: ~81700  
Ending word amount for Chapter 57: ~84000


	58. Chapter Fiftyeight, Ritual

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-eight:  
Ritual

_In the crushes of heaven for a sinner like me  
__But the arms of the ocean delivered me  
_'Never Let Me Go', Florence And The Machine

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Fifth**

Severus kept his chin to his chest as he was coolly examined by Lucius's great-grandfather, Abélard, an old man with the deepest voice Severus had ever heard. Although he was now legally attached to the Malfoy bloodline, he still had to be accepted by the current Malfoy Lord as an acceptable…whatever he was to Lucius. From what he had been able to understand from the contract he had signed, he now belonged to Lucius, like some sort of pet or something. He supposed that was why Lucius had been calling him 'pet' since he had signed the contract. Severus didn't mind, however.

For Lucius's sake, Severus hoped Abélard accepted him, because he didn't quite know what would happen to him if he wasn't accepted. Would Lucius have to destroy the contract and take him back to Hogwarts? Would they even be allowed to associate with one another or would Severus go back to Hogwarts with only an invisible boy for company and no one to protect him? He would have to…apologize to Lily and maybe he could be friends with Avery and Mulciber, but he didn't want to be friends with just them, he wanted Lucius. Lucius was kind to him, never a harsh word and he supported Severus in his passion for potions, and the only thing Severus could recall him doing that wasn't in his own best interest was when he tried to steal his memories. That was understandable in Severus's mind—he knew just how much Lucius respected his father, and how much it would destroy him to go against him. Lucius also had a vested interest in figuring out who Severus had been talking to; if he was going to be protecting Severus, Lucius should know everything about Severus as to be able to protect him the best.

However, Severus couldn't give up Nessie. He had made that clear enough with his reaction to Lucius breaking into his mind. However, as far as Severus knew, that was the worst Lucius had done to him. Lucius had protected him from those monstrous Gryffindors and helped him become a better person and had given him everything his heart desired, and that was enough for Severus.

Just as Abélard was turning to walk away, Severus took a step forward and caught the Malfoy Lord's cloak in one shaking hand. "Sir," he whispered, and dropped his head again as three pairs of silver-grey eyes turned to him, and, steeling himself, Severus pled, "don't take Lucius away from me."

(O.o)

Severus sat in Lucius lap in Abraxas's office, staring at his knees while the three Malfoy men spoke about him and how Lucius's school year had been. Nessie was looking Abélard over with strangely amused green eyes, and turned to Severus to remark, "All thr'e of th'm l'ok alm'st th' s'me," causing Severus to smirk and try not to nod in agreement. He was going to take his first 'headache' potion the next day and wanted to get used to pretending he didn't see Nessie when other people were around. He would have to talk to his boy when they got back to Hogwarts so Nessie would know exactly what was going on, even though he knew Nessie most likely already understood and accepted it for what it was.

He was jostled out of his thoughts by Lucius taking his hand and holding it out for Abélard to examine. The Malfoy Lord took Severus's hand and to both Severus's and Lucius's relief, did not attempt to touch the ring. "Ah, an Annulus. Very rare, very—"

"That is no Annulus," Abraxas interrupted, fury taking over his pointed face as he pushed to his feet. "My son did not make such a mistake."

Lucius sniffed and pulled Severus's hand out of Abélard's, holding it in his own. "I knew what I was doing, Father. It is an Annulus. You merely did not recognize it. He is now permanently attached to the Malfoy bloodline and my magic with the blood triad."

Abraxas dropped back into his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose as he clearly reigned in his magic. "You did such without my permission, Lucius!" Abraxas barked, slamming his fists down onto his dest. "Not only is that illegal but against the rules of this family!"

"It is done. Severus belongs to me," Lucius replied icily, sitting back in his seat and holding Severus to his chest. "You signed the papers attaching him to our bloodline and accepted him when he entered the wards. There is nothing you can do."

"Get out, son, and take your halfbreed pet with you," Abraxas growled, and Lucius complied, taking Severus along with him, their hands intertwined until Severus couldn't tell the difference in their skin.

Nessie stayed behind, floating over to sit on the edge of Abraxas's desk so he could see both men. Abélard looked ancient, with his pale, pointed face heavily lined and his silver-grey eyes tired. It was clear he was ready to move on to whatever met these men after death, and by the solemn look in his gaze, Abélard knew it as well. "Abraxas," Abélard murmured, "you know what I am going to say."

"I am too soft on him, I know," Abraxas snapped, and moved his head to glare at the copy of the bloodline parchment he had on his desk. "He is far too headstrong and should be brought down a few rungs. I never—"

"Do not even think of finishing that sentence, Abraxas. You were far worse than your boy at his age. If I remember correctly, I believe that was when you thought it would be a good profession for a Malfoy to be a dragon keeper, and you spent most of your time finding strange animals and bringing them inside. And you were only a few years older than he is now when you thought it a good idea to join that Dark Lord of yours." Abélard ignored Abraxas's plaintive griping that he wasn't Marked and merely continued on, "Lucius is no more obstinate than you; in fact, he is far less than you. He is very devoted to that halfbreed boy of his and it is that type of loyalty that will assist your side in winning this war. He is gotten that boy of his to be willing to kill for him—I can see it. Lucius is very talented and he will go very, very far in this world. Punish him for this transgression if you wish but my last act as the Lord of the Malfoy family is to accept Lucius's proposal to have Severus Tobias Snape permanently joined to the Malfoy bloodline and to also accept the Annulus and Salutem, binding Severus Tobias Snape to Lucius Abraxas Malfoy's magic, and with the blood triad, claiming Severus Tobias Snape to be owned by Lucius Abraxas Malfoy. I will be performing the ritual tonight." Abélard slumped back in his seat and took the Malfoy rings off his fingers, cradling them in his grasp for close to the last time before placing them on Abraxas's desk. "My time on this earth is almost over, and I wish for you and your son to be happy."

Abraxas stared incredulously at his father before taking the rings. "Father…"

"Take them, son. It is your time now. I have seen too much of this world."

Abraxas looked back at the rings and could not seem to take his gaze away from them. Nessie floated closer and examined the rings over Abraxas's shoulder, wondering what was so special about them. Out of the three rings, two of them were plain bands—one palladium and one rose gold—and the other was thick and set with small jewels, with a miniature Malfoy crest imprinted deep into the white gold band. Abraxas held up the rose gold ring and Nessie flushed at the look of pure awe on the man's pale face.

"The bloodline ring," Abraxas whispered. "I have never held it before."

Abélard smirked, sitting back in his chair. "And once I complete the ritual to accept Lucius's little pet into our bloodline, it will be yours."

Abraxas immediately handed the three rings back and Abélard set them upon his fingers, the strange tightness in his face dissipating once the rings were back in their rightful places. Abélard nodded stiffly to his son and excused himself, striding smoothly out of Abraxas's office to his rooms. Nessie stayed for a while, watching Abraxas attempt to work, but it was clear the man was distracted by something.

He wished Severus was with him and not with Lucius. He knew he had no right to be jealous of the attention Lucius was getting from _his_ Severus, but Nessie was unabashedly envious. He had been the sole focus of Severus's attention for so long and couldn't help but miss it. There were a few times Nessie had wondered if he had somehow pushed Severus away by not letting the older boy touch him like how his Uncle had touched him, but Nessie wouldn't let himself think that. He wouldn't do that to himself again, no matter how much he missed the other boy. Severus had Lucius now; it was clear he no longer needed Nessie, but Nessie was too attached, too selfish to let Severus go.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Severus stood outside one of the ritual rooms in the Malfoy dungeons, trying not to shiver as the chill of the dank rooms bit through his sheer white robes and to his sallow skin. Lucius had dressed him earlier, a strange experience to say the least. He supposed he would have liked it if it hadn't been Lucius; Lucius always seemed to stare at him and run his hands down Severus's thighs or the curve of his bum. Severus's only experiences in such matters were nothing to be proud of—the little he and Nessie had done, what his father had done to Lily and what he had seen Nessie's Uncle do to his boy in Nessie's memories. He assumed Lucius wasn't anything like Tobias or Nessie's Uncle but hoped it wouldn't go so far that Severus would have to find out. While Severus would accept platonic touches—it wasn't like he could actually stop Lucius—he didn't want _that_ type of relationship with anyone other than Nessie.

Nessie…Severus lifted his head and tried to peer through the darkness around him to see if Nessie was anywhere around him. He hadn't had a chance to speak with his boy about him being attached to the Malfoy bloodline and there wasn't a chance now. He would be starting the 'headache' potions tomorrow, if the ritual took. He didn't quite understand what Lucius had been telling him when the blond had explained the ritual to him, but Severus trusted Lucius and would follow his lead.

What he had understood was that the ritual was basically a formality, as Lucius had already completed the blood triad with the Annulus, Salutem and the bloodline parchment, with Abraxas and Abélard accepting him into the wards, and Abélard accepting the Annulus. Severus wasn't quite certain what the ring and the necklace _did_ exactly, but he knew the Annulus tied him to the Malfoy bloodline and the Salutem tied him to Lucius's magic. The bloodline parchment again to the bloodline, he supposed, or maybe the Annulus tied him to just Lucius's blood and the parchment tied him to the entire bloodline. He wasn't quite certain, but he knew that the blood triad attached him to the Malfoy bloodline and made him belong to Lucius.

Faintly, he wondered what Narcissa was going to say about this. He figured she wouldn't be happy, but there really wasn't anything she could do about it. Could she remove him from the bloodline when she married Lucius? Sighing to himself, Severus looked back down at his bare feet and wiggled his toes, feeling the roughhewn stone floor against the soles of his feet. His feet were probably going to be sore tomorrow, he figured; it was quite rare when he was not wearing shoes. Hopefully this ritual wouldn't take too long.

Severus looked back up when the door in front of him opened and Lucius stepped out, his long hair loose about his shoulders and his silver-grey eyes bright as he held out his hand to Severus. Severus looked at the freshly bleeding cut on Lucius's palm but set his right hand into Lucius's palm anyway, closing his eyes briefly as all of him settled when Lucius brushed his ring. To his surprise, his gut jumped and tensed when Lucius's blood made contact with the ring, and Severus ducked his head as hot sparks tore through his blood, feeling his cheeks flush and his magic tremble. Lucius dropped Severus's hand and moved his grasp to the back of Severus's neck, steering him deeper into the long, narrow room. They walked for a few unending minutes—it was the longest room Severus had ever been in—before they came upon a velvet carpet.

"You will wait here," Lucius told him, stopping Severus on the edge of the long red carpet runner that led up to an elaborate altar adorned with the Malfoy crest. Lucius let Severus go and pet Severus's ratty hair a few times before stepping away and bowing his head. Severus held in his sigh and peered at the altar, wondering if part of the ritual was standing around long enough for his feet to bruise. It felt like it, anyway. The floor was cold and he wanted to move forward to step onto the carpet but wasn't sure if it was allowed.

There was a soft sound from behind Severus and he turned his head to see Abélard, dressed in rich purple robes with silver and green piping, step out of a wall and turn to look at him. The old man's pointed face relaxed at seeing Severus and Abélard quickly strode to him. Severus wanted to ask why Abélard was allowed to wear shoes but wasn't sure he was allowed to talk. "We will begin once Abraxas is here," Abélard quietly told Severus, who gaped at the man. They hadn't begun already? What had he been standing outside this ungodly long room for, then? He could have been wearing shoes or been curled up under a warming charm if the ritual hadn't even started yet.

Abraxas stepped out of the wall just a few moments later and with an official look on his face, Abélard moved down the carpet runner, Abraxas just a step behind him. Lucius waited a few minutes, until his father and grandfather were about half-way down the aisle to the altar and then stepped off after them, his thin black robes fluttering behind him. Severus grumbled to himself, stepping a bit forward so he was on the carpet runner. It wasn't warm, not by any means, but it was at least a little better than the cold, rough floor. How was he supposed to participate in the ritual if he had no idea what was going on?

He waited, however, knowing it would bother Lucius if he became angry. This was important to Lucius, for one reason or another, and as it was important to Lucius, it was important to Severus. He heard Abraxas say something to Lucius and watched Lucius place his bleeding left hand over the altar, where Abélard moved his white-wood wand in a complicated pattern over Lucius's hand, and Severus was amazed to see the blood staining both his own hand and Lucius's hand glow a bright glittery gold.

Lucius smiled and turned his head to look at Severus. "Come, Severus," he called down the hall, and Severus quickly strode down the hallway, barely feeling the soft velvet under his eager feet. Abraxas threw Severus a dark look and roughly told him to kneel at the foot of the raised altar, and bent down to undo the ties holding Severus's robe together. Severus met Lucius's reassuring gaze and stiffened when Abraxas pushed his thin white robe off his shoulders but did not push the older man away.

"Stand up, boy," Abraxas snapped, and yanked Severus to his feet before the boy could respond. Neither Abélard nor Lucius said anything about Abraxas's treatment of Severus so he said nothing, only dropping his chin to his chest when Abraxas's rough hands moved across his chest and brushed against his Salutem. Once his torso was bare and his robe was draped around his waist, Severus was pushed back to his knees and he bit his cheeks to keep himself from smiling when he saw how bright the blood on his hand was glowing.

Abélard murmured for Lucius to bleed onto the altar and as Lucius did so, the gold-glowing blood on Severus's hand turned a bright glittery red, and the ring on his finger burnt with a strange heat. Severus did not move except to lean into Lucius's touch when the older Slytherin turned to him and pressed his bleeding hand to Severus's cheek. Severus looked up when Lucius's hand moved away from his face, and he barely stopped himself from jumping away when Lucius began moving his hands over his skin, drawing long lines of some warm substance along Severus's limbs and in between his fingers and down his legs and palming his hips. Severus couldn't stop himself from flushing when Lucius's hands moved up his inner thighs, his thumbs moving far too close to _there_ before leaving, the strange substance tickling his skin.

"Good boy, Severus," Lucius murmured as his hands cradled Severus's harsh face, moving his thumbs to spread the liquid over Severus's nose, the length of his nose and his lips, his jawline and bushy eyebrows. Lucius pressed his mouth to Severus's forehead before pushing back to his feet, holding his bleeding hand out for Severus to take. Severus complied and ignoring the way his knobby knees threatened to give out beneath him, stood next to Lucius at the front of the altar, on the verge of leaning against the blond as the three Malfoys flicked their eyes between him and the quivering pool of blood on the top of the altar.

Abélard nodded once to Lucius, who picked Severus's right hand up and laid it upon the altar, palm up, and the Annulus glinted in the strange dull light. Lucius pulled his wand out of his black robes and held Severus's hand down by the wrist, sending the boy a brief comforting look before pressing his wand to the thin, tender skin just under the ring, the metal of the Annulus biting into the wound. Severus gasped in pain as his blood pooled out of his hand, dripping down onto the altar to surround Lucius's blood. Lucius made another cut just above the ring and as Severus pushed past the pain—it hurt far more than Severus thought it should—he stared in shock as the Annulus sunk into his skin, the metal of the ring seamlessly melding with his skin. When his spilt blood meshed with Lucius's and his hand was released, Severus held it up in front of his face, staring at how the ring looked to have always been a part of his hand.

There was a brief flash of glittery light and then all Severus knew was that his blood was burning him up from the inside.

(O.o)

The first thing Severus heard when his mind was no longer awash with agony was quiet, furious arguing. Lucius and Abraxas, he assumed, and he held back a groan as pain spiked up through his skin, burning his joints and feeling like had been set on fire.

"You never told me it would cause him pain, Father!" Lucius snarled, and his hand moved to roughly squeeze Severus's forearm. Severus gasped as the pain switched around and his entire body settled with satisfaction, as if he had been waiting his entire life for Lucius to touch him. "Severus? Are you awake?"

Severus nodded, not trusting his voice. He tried to open his eyes and couldn't look at anything other than Lucius. It was as if his body burned for the older Slytherin, as if he had gone these twelve years searching for Lucius and he had finally found him.

Abraxas continued talking as if Severus had not awoken. "You would have gone along with the ritual anyway, Lucius," he snapped, and those silver-grey eyes flicked nastily to Severus. "The ritual clearly took, anyway, and if you weren't so intent on protecting your halfbreed pet, it wouldn't have caused him such harm. He should have been more prepared for the ritual. He would not have passed out from the pain if you had properly prepared him for the pain it would cause him."

Lucius sneered and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Severus, taking Severus's right hand in both of his, forcing Severus's magic to settle and warm contentedly inside of him. "If I had been _told_, then I could have possibly prepared him, Father," Lucius replied with a cruel snark in his voice.

Abraxas raised his wand and barked, "Know your place, boy! You know what happens when you test me. You have already raised my ire by underhandedly sneaking this boy of yours into my house and now you dare treat me discourteously!"

Lucius dropped his head immediately, ducking his shoulders as he quietly apologized. "I understand, Father," he murmured, and helped Severus sit up, the boy leaning heavily against him.

Abraxas nodded stiffly and moved to step out of the room. Once he was in the open doorway, Abraxas turned back and lowly called out his son's name. Lucius looked up with a questioning look on his face, his bandaged hand petting Severus's greasy hair down. "Son…congratulations."

Trying to hide his smile, Lucius nodded and thanked his father. Once they were alone, Lucius moved back to lean against the headboard of his bed and pulled Severus into his lap, running a hand down Severus's thin back. "He likes you," Lucius informed Severus, who lifted his gaze from the ring melded with his skin and peered up at Lucius's face.

Severus nodded and turned his head to stare at the empty doorway, willing Nessie to appear. After a long while, Nessie floated into the room and merely looked at Severus, his great green eyes solemn and his mouth turned down with sadness. Severus wanted to console him but couldn't move; his magic hurt at the very thought of leaving Lucius's arms, even for Nessie. The two merely stared at one another for a great deal of time until Nessie slowly nodded, moving closer to the bed to rest his hand on top of Severus's.

For a moment, Severus was worried Nessie's touch was going to hurt him or he wouldn't feel his boy's touch, but those fears were assuaged when Nessie's small hand twisted with his. _I love you_, Severus mouthed and leaned his head back against Lucius's chest, relaxing at the sound and feel of Lucius's heart beating.

* * *

A/N: I am going to attempt to write 50,000 words for this story for NaNoWriMo. That will put this story at about 130,000 words (hopefully) by the end of the month. I hope each chapter will be about 3000-4000 words, updated either daily or every other day. I would sincerely appreciate support and reviews.  
Starting total word amount: ~81700  
Ending chapter word amount: ~88000


	59. Chapter Fiftynine, Faith

**Warning: **corporal punishment. Kind of.

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Fifty-nine:  
Faith

_Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith;  
__be men of courage; be strong.  
_1 Corinthians 16:13

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Sixth**

Severus yawned as he opened his eyes, his gaze meeting the broad, pale plain of Lucius's bare chest, and he sat up, pushing his hair out of his face as he yawned again, rubbing at his eyes with his knuckles. He tried to get off the bed but his body went completely boneless the moment he was no longer touching Lucius, falling to the floor and narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the elegantly carved nightstand. He tried calling out Lucius's name but his mouth wouldn't work; all he was able to do was moan and wordlessly cry out. Nessie was immediately next to him, soft hands under Severus's shoulders as the boy tried to push him up, but Nessie was only able to move him a few inches before Lucius made a grumbling sound and sat up, swinging his legs out of bed and staring down at Severus.

"What are you doing on the floor, pet?"

Severus tried to answer but all that came out were muddled groans. He tried to lift a hand to reach for—someone, Lucius or Nessie, he didn't know—but it was Lucius who lifted him to his feet and held him close. Nessie retreated back into a corner, hollow green eyes watching them carefully, as if Lucius was going to drop Severus and only Nessie would be able to catch him.

"Did you fall?"

Severus tried to nod but his muscles wouldn't let him; his head only flopped forward and he couldn't pull it back. He slumped against Lucius and felt his blood swirl.

Lucius's hand cupped the back of Severus's head and tugged the boy's hair until Severus's head fell back, bleary black eyes focusing somewhere on Lucius's face. "I did not wash the ritual potion off you after you fainted," Lucius murmured, and lifted his head to look into his bathroom. "I wonder if that is what making you weak." Lucius lifted Severus into his arms and strode quickly into the bathroom, depositing Severus into the tub and pulling Severus's fading black pants off. Quickly retrieving his wand from under the pillow in his bed, Lucius murmured "_Aguamenti Caldarius_" and a steaming spray of water spurted out from his wand, slowly filling the tub. Severus grunted but could not move.

It took a few minutes for the tub to fill and once it did, Lucius cast _Finite_ and after setting his wand to the side, he slid into the tub behind Severus, not removing his own undershorts. Severus slumped back against him and slowly, as the ritual potion was slowly removed from his skin, regained his ability to move without touching Lucius. "What did that ritual do to me?" Severus asked, a distinct rasp in his dark voice, once he was able to sit up by himself without Lucius's assistance.

Lucius smiled and snuck a hold of his wand, refreshing the water in the tub as he thought over the appropriate answer. Finally, as he pulled his undershorts off and tugged Severus into his lap, he replied, "The blood triad bound you to the Malfoy bloodline and to my magic. The ritual bound you to my blood. It was my grandfather's idea, as he saw my only desire was to keep you safe and keep you mine. If I had only bound you by the blood triad, anyone of Malfoy blood or attached to the bloodline could have removed you, but since you were also bound to my blood, only I can remove you." Severus leaned against Lucius's chest and closed his eyes as the Malfoy Heir ran his hands through Severus's hair.

"Why did it hurt?" Severus hated how his voice sounded—weak, like he was scared of the answer.

"Your blood contains part of your magic. The balance of magic in your blood and body had already been thrown off-kilter by the blood triad, as well by the fact that you and I were not in constant physical contact for the first 24 hours after I gave you the ring, and factoring in how many people touched you while you wore the Annulus. Since you had been bound to the Malfoy bloodline by the time the ritual took place, my father touching you did not bother you physically, but it disrupted your magic and your magic reacted negatively to being forced to bond to my blood."

"But I wanted to be bound to you," Severus mumbled, curling up into a ball on Lucius's chest, wrapping his arms around his knees and hugging himself close.

"Yes, pet, I know, but we forced your magic through too many changes in too quickly a time frame. The blood triad is usually bound to a person over a period of years, not a period of months like what we did. I should have known and postponed the ritual, but I did not want you to be harmed. The Annulus is now bound to my blood and my magic; the Salutem is bound to the Malfoy bloodline as is your blood, by way of the bloodline parchment you, my father and I signed. Do you understand?"

Severus nodded tiredly and fell asleep again in Lucius's strong arms, not seeing Nessie floating over them, confused as to why both Slytherins were naked, unless Lucius was planning on doing something unspeakable to Severus, and Nessie vowed to keep a close eye on the blond to keep Severus safe.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Eighth**

Lucius watched the Malfoy rings catch the light on his father's fingers as he finished the entrée of their last dinner at Malfoy Manor for Easter Break. He and Severus were leaving the next morning and as they had been holed up in Lucius's room since the morning after the ritual, slowly regaining Severus's strength back, Lucius had not seen his father. As Severus was now his usual moody, rude self, Lucius had seen it fit to venture out of his rooms, with a warning to Severus that if he seemed or felt weak at any time, they would leave and return back to bed. Severus had grumbled but agreed, and Lucius knew he was secretly pleased to have someone caring and watching out for him.

Now, Severus was sitting as close as possible to being in Lucius's lap without being in the same chair, while either picking at his food or voraciously eating everything on his plate. Although Lucius was consistently on the receiving end of a nasty glare from his father, he kept his hand on Severus's thigh—his boy's magic and blood still needed physical contact from Lucius to keep him stabilized. Hopefully, Severus would be alright by Monday, as he and Lucius were going to have rather differing schedules for the Spring term, especially as Lucius was preparing for his O.W.L.s. He would have to shrink down his clothes and douse them with raw magic to keep Severus from fading again.

Sighing to himself, Lucius pushed his plate away and after laying his utensils and napkin on his plate, he reached over and pulled Severus into his lap, sitting back and keeping his gaze on his father. Abraxas glowered at him but couldn't keep the look when Severus turned his head and stared at Abraxas through his hair. "Congratulations on your Lordship, Lord Malfoy," Severus murmured, and his beetle-black eyes glinted in the candlelight.

Abraxas nodded his acceptance of the acknowledgement but did not say anything. Instead, he turned his attention to Lucius and ignored the silent house elves as they removed their dinner plates and replaced them with dessert trays. "Has your boy begun taking his headache potions, son?"

Lucius shifted Severus on his lap as he nodded. "Yes, Father. The first one was the night after the ritual, and his headaches have all but disappeared. A few more days of the potions and they will be completely gone." Severus nodded in agreement and leaned his head against Lucius's chest, twisting both of his hands around one of Lucius's.

The three men were silent as they ate dessert—simple sorbet—and then after Abraxas finished, he turned to his son. "I have not yet punished you for undermining my authority, Lucius. After you have put your boy in your room, I expect you in my office. No later than eight. Goodnight, Severus," he said, inclining his head briefly to the dark-haired boy, and then, without excusing himself, Abraxas pushed back his chair and left the dining room. Severus turned his head to look curiously up at Lucius, twisting his long fingers in Lucius's robes.

"Punish you?"

"Don't worry about it, pet. Finish your sorbet and we'll be off to bed," Lucius soothed, and sat back in his seat as Severus devoured the rest of his sorbet, as well as the rest of Lucius's when the blond motioned him to it. After a childhood of nearly no sugar, Severus wasn't particularly fond of it, but he occasionally fell victim to a randomly appearing sweet tooth, and the Malfoy house elves always made the best desserts.

Nessie stood in the doorway out for a few minutes, watching Severus's and Lucius's interactions, twisting his hands in front of him as he couldn't do anything to stop them. Severus was _bound_ to Lucius now; there was no going back. Lucius had stolen Severus from him and Nessie didn't know if he could take Severus back, and now, he was wondering if he should even try. Severus was clearly happy with Lucius; Lucius could give Severus things Nessie clearly couldn't. Nessie couldn't give Severus a giant house with strange little creatures that ran around and gave everyone food or fancy new clothes or some fancy bond thing that made him sick and…Nessie couldn't give anything but himself, and while that had once been good enough, it clearly wasn't anymore.

Nessie wanted to be enough. He wanted Severus to be just his again, he wanted to be able to be held by Severus without the worry that Lucius was going to walk in at any moment—he wanted to just be held again. He knew how important Lucius was to keeping them safe but it clearly didn't matter if Nessie was safe or not if Severus was happy. While Nessie logically knew that there really wasn't anything Lucius could do to keep him safe—Lucius couldn't even see him!—but at least Severus could be making an effort.

Nessie couldn't help but think that if it were last summer, before they even met Lucius, Severus would have never even thought he could be leaving Nessie behind.

(O.o)  
**Later**

Nessie followed Lucius to Abraxas's office as he had told Severus he would, and floated in front of the fire, trying to warn himself as he listened and watched.

Lucius sat in the hard wooden chair his father had placed out for his punishment, knowing he wouldn't be sitting for long. As was Abraxas's wont in such situations, he completely ignored Lucius until the Slytherin was shifting uneasily in his seat, just waiting until his father got on with it. Nessie knew the feeling.

Finally, after what seemed like forever to both Nessie and Lucius, Abraxas put down his quill and turned his attention to his son, nodding once. Lucius swallowed thickly as he pushed to his feet, pulling off his robes and undoing his trousers. "Come here, son," Abraxas demanded, his voice unusually soft, and Lucius uneasily complied, stopping at his father's side. "You know what to do."

Lucius knelt at his father's side and as he twisted his hands behind his back, he leaned his forehead against his father's leg. His father's heavy hand dropped on top of his head and Lucius flinched at the touch, knowing what was coming next. "You will not move." Lucius squeezed his eyes shut and waited. A few minutes later, Abraxas lifted his wand and cast, "_Crucio_."

Of course, Lucius screamed. He screamed and thrashed and cried and begged and bit through his lips and felt like his magic was trying to break through his skin and he couldn't breathe. He begged for the curse to be lifted but his father did not listen, merely staring down at his son as the nasty red light lit up his features. Finally, Abraxas lifted the curse and stared down at his son. "Compose yourself, Lucius. You will have to become used to curses far worse than that if you enter the service of the Dark Lord."

"Yes, Father," Lucius gasped in a hoarse, nasty rasp, his breath coming in shallow pants as he tried to regain it. He didn't want the rest of the punishment but he knew it was coming.

"Ask, son."

Lucius swallowed and wished his mother was there. Her punishments for him were generally demeaning—knitting with the house elves or cooking or weeding out in the garden or, on one occasion, trying on her dress robes—but never painful. It was his father who seemed to take a perverse pleasure in causing his son physical pain, which Lucius both hated and was grateful for—he knew he wouldn't be able to be a good warrior for his Lord if he couldn't take a bit of pain, but Merlin damn it all, it _hurt_—and Lucius finally whispered, somehow able to keep the gasps of pain out of his voice, "Father, please. Will you punish me?"

As always, his father was happy to comply.

* * *

A/N: I am going to attempt to write 50,000 words for this story for NaNoWriMo. That will put this story at about 130,000 words (hopefully) by the end of the month. I hope each chapter will be about 3000-4000 words, updated either daily or every other day. I would sincerely appreciate support and reviews.  
Starting total word amount: ~82000  
Ending chapter word amount: ~90000


	60. Chapter Sixty, Much

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Sixty:  
Much

_And I've been a fool and I've been blind  
__I can never leave the past behind  
_'Shake It Out', Florence And The Machine

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Ninth**

Although Severus did his best to make sure nobody saw him herding Lucius into an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Narcissa had followed them in and was now staring at him while he healed the wounds on Lucius's back. Abraxas really was quite a hand with curses, as a few of the gashes had bitten all the way down to the bone. Narcissa kept on trying to help and Nessie had finally stood between her and Severus and stuck his hands through her fingers, causing her to shriek and finally intelligently retreat.

Lucius was lying down the cushioned bench of seats just as Severus had finished his back, and Severus turned to look up at Narcissa, who was examining her fingers with a faint expression on her face, and Severus told her, "You'll need to leave now."

Narcissa glared at him as she lowered her hands to tangle them in her lap. "I am his betrothed," she nastily informed him, as if Severus thought she was someone else, "I have more of a right to be here than anyone."

Severus nodded and rolled Lucius onto his side and gently fed the catatonic Slytherin a Pain Reliever potion before turning to look back at her. "I'll inform him that you broke the contract by seeing him in a state of possible sexual undress before your marriage, and"—he sneered—"possibly choose his own wife or partner instead of someone chosen for him, Ms. Black."

She stared at him before softly excusing herself, and Severus paused, wondering if Narcissa truly cared for Lucius, as he knew Lucius did for her. It wasn't apparent to someone who didn't look, but Severus knew that Lucius was pleased to be marrying Narcissa. During the time Severus had been nearly out of his mind with pain after the ritual, Lucius had let him read a copy of their betrothal contract, as Severus would need to know a bit more than he did about the Malfoy family customs, especially as he was now the property of the Regent Malfoy and the Malfoy Heir.

Severus glanced up at Nessie, who was now asleep, still tired from going through Platform 9 ¾, and after rolling Lucius back over onto his stomach, he pulled Lucius's undershorts down to his knees and stared. Although Lucius had explained why he had been punished so severely—to prepare him for service under the Dark Lord—some of the wounds were really quite brutal. At least Severus's father was often too drunk to do much of anything as violent as what Abraxas had done to Lucius. Really, the worst Tobias had done to Severus was the time he had stuck him with the glass bottle, and a few times he had thrown Severus down the stairs or gone after him with his belt. Severus had generally spent as much of his time outside or holed up in his room whenever his father was home.

Pulling out a few phials of potions Abraxas had given him to heal Lucius when Lucius wasn't looking, Severus patted Lucius's hair before yanking the cork out of a phial of Wound Cleansing Potion and carefully pouring the purple liquid deep into the wounds and frowning when Lucius flinched and hissed under his breath. Clearly, the Pain Reliever Severus had fed him on the way to King's Cross was wearing off, and Severus hoped the one he had just given him would kick in soon.

After the purple potion disappeared from the wounds, having done its job, Severus opened the phial of Dittany Abraxas had given him and poured a few drops into each wound, smiling to himself when the gashes began healing up immediately, leaving only pale, unscarred skin behind. Severus pulled Lucius's undershorts back up and after feeding Lucius a Revitalizing Draught, he waited for Lucius's eyes to focus before he tried putting his robe on, and Lucius attempted to help him, his movements sluggish and slow.

"You healed me," Lucius murmured, pulling Severus into his arms and depositing a chaste kiss on his lips. Severus froze and from behind him, Nessie yawned and then fell off the trunk he had been laying on. Lucius adjusted his robes until they hung correctly and tugged Severus into his arms, closing his eyes again. Nessie clearly hadn't seen Lucius kiss Severus and merely went back to sleep.

Narcissa, of course, had seen, standing in the open doorway with her hand over her mouth. Severus found a part of himself wanting to explain to her that they weren't like that, that he had Nessie and would cut out his own tongue before voluntarily kissing someone else, that his and Lucius's relationship was physical but not sexual, but Severus ignored that part of him and merely chose to glare at her, intentionally resting his hands on top of Lucius's on his waist. Lucius looked up and invited Narcissa in with a wave of his wand. She shut the compartment door behind her and sat across from them, looking at them with a faint look of disgust on her face. Severus smirked and ducked his face behind his hair, staring at the ring on his finger—Narcissa could only void the contract if Lucius broke one of their agreements, while Lucius could break it simply if he felt like it.

"Explain this, Lucius," Narcissa snarled, and Lucius merely turned his head and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ah, Narcissa. I regret I was unable to greet you properly, but as you could see, I was indisposed. How was your break, dear?"

Narcissa glared at Severus again, who shifted in Lucius's arms to get more comfortable, and she replied, "I understand, Lucius, and do not worry about it." She pursed her lips and then said, "My break was quite relaxing. Bellatrix and I spent time with her betrothed at the Lestrange Manor in France and my mother bought the most beautiful crimson dress robes with diamond-thread embroidery for the Summer Ball—you're coming to the Ball, right? Of course you are. You're not bringing that boy, though, are you? I really believe it would be improper to bring a halfbreed to a Black Ball." Narcissa smiled nastily at Severus, who merely continued examining Lucius's fingers. "How was your break?"

"Of course Severus will be coming, Narcissa, don't be ridiculous. It would be preposterous to be bound to someone and not bring them to a Ball."

"Bound? That's—our contract—"

"Nonsense, dear. We are only bound by blood and magic, nothing that would interfere with the rules of our betrothal." Lucius looked as if to continue but Severus interrupted him.

"She seems rather hung up on this betrothal contract," Severus muttered, sneering at Narcissa and receiving a chuckle from Lucius.

Lucius nodded. "She is a woman, pet, and women tend to get hung up on the strangest things."

Narcissa merely stared with wide eyes as Severus looked trustingly up at Lucius, nodding with understanding. As she was a woman, she had never been taught much about bonds—her place was to agree with her husband and keep the house—but the bond between her betrothed and his boy was almost palpable, and if she sunk into her core and focused on the magic around her, she could see the magic connecting them. Although she had not yet fully come into her magic, it was clear to her that one of her talents was seeing magic. She could not tell anyone, as women were supposed to be meek and mild, and not to have any particular magical skills. She sometimes wished that Lucius wasn't of the old breeding and the old ways so she could develop her skills without the threat of being divorced or punished by her husband.

Severus watched her for a few minutes and then moved his gaze to see Nessie staring at Narcissa with a thoughtful look on his scarred face. He wanted to ask Nessie what he was thinking but held his tongue, knowing he couldn't speak. It was far more difficult pretending he no longer saw an 'imaginary friend' than Severus had thought it would be, but they only had a few months before Summer Break, in which Severus could love Nessie like he had before Lucius and Hogwarts.

(O.o)

To Severus's shock, Narcissa insisted on riding in a carriage with him and Lucius up to the castle, and she sat on Lucius's left and held the blond's hand in between both of hers, as if laying some manner of claim on him. Severus merely stared at her and then turned his attention back to staring out the window, almost unable to stop himself from squirming in excitement. He hadn't realized just how much he missed Hogwarts until he was back. Lucius chuckled under his breath and after removing Narcissa's grasp, wrapped both arms around Severus's waist and pulled the boy close.

"Pet, calm down. I understand you are excited but, as you are now attached to my bloodline, you must maintain a level of decorum and propriety."

"Those mean the same thing," Severus replied and Lucius snorted.

"You are quite right, pet." Narcissa was shocked to see a small smile gracing Lucius's handsome face at the boy's cheek. She knew Lucius cared for his boy, and while she knew he tolerated quite a bit from the boy, she had always thought it was simple indulgence and not Lucius cultivating the boy's character into something that would serve the Malfoy family well. It was quite clear that Lucius cared dearly for his boy, and she could only hope he did not care for the boy more than he cared for her. She had rights as his betrothed, after all.

Instead of insulting the boy like Narcissa knew Lucius would have done with anyone else, Lucius merely sat back and answered all of the boy's questions about the Hogwarts grounds, and when Severus asked him about what kind of plants there were in the Forbidden Forest, Narcissa stared in shock when Lucius bodily turned the boy around and very plainly told him that if he ever went into the Forest alone, Lucius would punish him in a manner that would make what his father had done to him look like a scratch. Severus nodded and for a moment, looked like he was going to rebel or try to jump out of the carriage, but he softened and went quiet, leaning against Lucius's chest and squeezing his eyes shut.

Narcissa wanted to say something in the boy's defense but held her tongue, uncertain of what she would even be defending.

(O.o)

Severus yawned into his hand as he looked over his revised Potions essay for Slughorn, his body warm from the fire and dinner. Nessie had immediately gone in search of Peeves the second their carriage had stopped and Severus had seen the two of them pouring ink in the goblets at Gryffindor table during dinner. Lucius had already finished his own homework and was taking a bath, and Severus was fighting a strange urge to go join him. He knew his essay needed no more work and he wanted to go be held while Lucius washed him.

Supposing what he wanted was only natural, Severus abandoned his essay and scurried to the bathroom attached to their quarters and peeked around the partly open door, calling out Lucius's name. Although Severus did not see it, Lucius sneered, pleased his plan had worked, and told Severus he was welcome to come in.

Blushing behind the curtain of his hair, Severus slipped up to the edge of the bathtub and quietly asked, "May I join you?"

"Of course, my own."

Severus quickly stripped and Lucius picked him up and brought him into the tub, holding the gaunt boy against his chest as Severus curled against him. "Narcissa doesn't like me," Severus suddenly announced, not particularly bothered by it.

"Yes. But I do, little Severus, and that is what matters."

Severus smiled and turned his head to tuck it under Lucius's chin, content to sit and feel his magic settle, hot and comfortable, in his gut.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Tenth**

Severus sat in the front of his Transfiguration class with Vaisey next to him and the four Gryffindor boys all glaring at him, with Black occasionally flicking spit-soaked bits of parchment at him. Vaisey was clearly furious, and had tried to retaliate, but McGonagall had taken twenty-five points from Slytherin and given ten to Gryffindor when Potter and Black had lied about not knowing why Vaisey would try to glue their hands to their desks. McGonagall was lecturing about Switching Spells, which she had already covered earlier in the year, and was demonstrating how to Transfigure a beetle into a button and a mouse into a snuffbox and a match into a needle. It was terribly boring but Severus took copious notes, doing his best to ignore the Gryffindors behind him.

Black was chortling under his breath and Severus tensed at the sound of crumpling parchment. He turned his head to peer at the boys over his shoulder and pushed his hair back with his right hand, the Annulus on his finger catching the light. Black gasped and cried out, "Snivellus has an Annulus! Bet he stole it!"

"Mr. Black!" McGonagall bellowed. "There will be no disruptions in my class! Five points from Gryffindor, and if you do it again, that will be a detention!"

Black seemed to not hear her as he jumped to his feet and pointed menacingly at Severus. "Snivellus has an Annulus on, Professor!"

McGonagall paused and her tight face grew even sharper as she pursed her lips and glared, moving those cold eyes from Black to Severus. She sighed roughly and slowly asked, "Is this true, Mr. Snape?"

Severus nodded, ducking his chin. One of Vaisey's long hands dropped onto his shoulder and the tall first year pushed to his feet. "It does not matter, Professor," his firm voice cold. "There are no rules against being bound while serving as a student at Hogwarts. If there is a problem with Severus, you are welcome to take it up with his Head of House."

McGonagall turned her lips down and demanded that Vaisey sit. He complied, keeping his hand on Severus's shoulder, being careful not to accidentally brush the boy's skin. "Twenty points from Slytherin, Mr. Vaisey," she hissed, sounding remarkably like an angry cat, and continued, "While you are correct there are no rules against being bound while a student here, it is still that student's responsibility to inform the Headmaster. Mr. Snape, you will accompany me to the Headmaster's office after class."

Severus glanced at Vaisey, who nodded, and Severus nodded himself, moving his shoulder so Vaisey's hand fell from his shoulder. Severus quietly thanked the taller first year as McGonagall bade Black to sit and continued her lesson, ignoring how Black explained to Potter and cohorts about what an Annulus was.

Even though the class was more than half over, the remaining thirty minutes were the longest of Severus's life. He knew Vaisey would run off to inform Lucius the second class got out, and was grateful for that, but he just wanted to curl up in a ball and hide.

(O.o)

Severus had been correct; Vaisey had run down to the Great Hall and quickly informed Lucius of his situation, and Lucius had met them at the entrance to the Headmaster's office, ignoring McGonagall's query as to why he was there. Severus knew the woman was bright and couldn't believe she hadn't made the connection, but it was possible that it was common knowledge that Lucius was his protector and it would make sense for him to be there. Lucius quickly stepped between Severus and McGonagall and rested his hand on the back of Severus's neck, causing Severus's magic to settle and his eyelids to droop. He stumbled up to the moving spiral staircase and leaned heavily against Lucius's side as they were carried up to the heavy door that apparently led to the Headmaster's office.

McGonagall gave both Slytherins a stern look as Dumbledore's jovial voice called for them to enter, and she opened the door for them, ignoring Lucius's dark murmuring of halfbreeds as she slammed the door behind herself. Dumbledore smiled at them, thankful he didn't feel that strange presence around Severus, and asked the boys to take a seat. Lucius sneered at him and after checking over an armchair with his wand, he sat down and pulled Severus into his lap, much to both McGonagall's and Dumbledore's surprise.

"Minerva, what brings you here on this fine day?" Dumbledore asked, and Lucius merely stared at him. He had been brought up to detest the Headmaster, being taught he was a weak, halfbreed and halfblood lover, a fighter for Mudblood and Muggle rights, and while rather smart and clever, clearly stupid for going against the Dark Lord. He had done his best in the eight or so months he had known Severus to turn Severus against Dumbledore and to the Dark Lord, and by the dark look on Severus's sleepy face, it had clearly worked. Lucius leaned casually back in his chair as McGonagall answered and obviously placed his hand on Severus's upper thigh, causing Dumbledore's bushy eyebrows to rise.

"Albus, I was just informed that Mr. Snape is wearing an Annulus," she said, her stern voice prim as she looked over her glasses at Severus. "Vaisey also felt it necessary to inform me that there is nothing against the Hogwarts rules for a student to be bound while at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore stroked his beard and looked at Severus, sapphire eyes twinkling. Severus felt sick at the look and wanted to tell the man to look away, but he merely covered his face with his hair and stared at his knees. "Is this true, Mr. Snape?"

Severus turned his head and peered up at Lucius, who nodded. "Yes, Professor," Severus rasped, and moved his hand to clutch Lucius's.

"May I see it?"

Lucius snorted, lifting his chin. "Do not be ridiculous, Professor. If you have even an inkling of what an Annulus is, you know you cannot touch him without causing his magic to rebel." There was a strange edge to his voice, the arrogant edge now in full force.

Dumbledore smiled as McGonagall frowned. "I assume you are the one to which Mr. Snape is bound. Congratulations, Mr. Malfoy. I heard your father is now Lord Malfoy; please pass on my congratulations to him, as well. May I inquire as to how far the bond is completed?" His voice was smooth and pleasant, but it made Severus feel sick. He looked up into Dumbledore's face and felt something pressing against his mind, just as it had felt when Lucius had gone into his mind over Easter Break, and he drew his gaze away, holding in his groan as he retreated back into Lucius's chest. Dumbledore frowned and Fawkes made a soft twittering sound from his perch, silver tears pooling in his black eyes.

Lucius hissed, eyes narrowed. "All you are required to know is that Severus is fully bound with the Annulus, Professor."

"That is very dangerous magic you are messing with, my boy," Dumbledore replied softly. "I hope you know what you are doing."

Lucius sneered and took Severus's hand to hold it out so Dumbledore could see how it was embedded in the boy's skin. Severus merely kept his dark eyes on his knees, uncertain of the situation. He could feel McGonagall's irritation—had she wanted them to be punished? He had done nothing wrong. "I believe I do. Good day, Professors." Lucius set Severus on his feet and led the boy out of the Headmaster's office with a hand on the back of his neck, causing Dumbledore to frown and McGonagall to sigh. Once the two Slytherins were gone, she ran her wand over the armchair they had been sitting in and shook her head.

"Pity that boy ended up in Slytherin, Headmaster." Dumbledore nodded and offered McGonagall tea as she retook her seat; she denied and settled her robes about her. "Did you see how Malfoy was touching him? Surely there is a rule against such…debauchery!"

"My dear, I regret that there is not, but there is nothing to be done. Lord Malfoy is far more powerful in this world than I, and has clearly been brought up in the old ways, to believe that to become a proper Lord, he must have a younger male lover to help him learn responsibility to make sure he can properly care for his wife and children. Most Lords keep their male lovers around for life as familial consultants and trusted acquaintances. This is the first I have heard of a companion being bound to the family, however. It is very interesting."

McGonagall frowned. "I have never heard of such a thing, Albus. In what families does this manner of thing happen?"

Dumbledore sighed and stroked his beard as he thought over his answer before slowly replying, "In old blood families such as the Malfoys and the Blacks, or the Lestranges, Flints, Notts, and a few generations back, the Gaunts"—McGonagall's lips thinned—"and before young Eileen, the Prince line. I met Lewenhart Prince and his companion, Davide, quite a few years back, before his unfortunate death, and Lewenhart treated Davide far better than he treated his wife and daughter. I regret thinking that Lewenhart's treatment of Eileen might have factored into her leaving the magical world, but I don't believe we have enough time to go into that now. May I walk you to the Great Hall, my lady?"

McGonagall smiled and followed behind the Headmaster, thinking on Severus Snape's terrible past and clearly more terrible luck.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Fourteenth**

Lucius looked up from his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay on the long-term effects of Dementors and quietly told Severus to come over to him. The boy was helping Selwyn and Vaisey with their Potion essays but immediately complied, allowing Lucius to pull him into his lap. "I sent my father a letter on Dumbledore's rude treatment of you," Lucius began as he handed Severus his essay to read when the younger Slytherin curiously looked at it, and Severus peered up at him through his hair. Lucius gently pushed Severus's hair out his face and continued, "His reply just arrived. I would like you to read it over first."

"Of course," Severus replied immediately, and took the thick parchment envelope Lucius handed him. He broke the seal and carefully pulled the letter out, spreading it out over his lap and bending over it.

_My son,_

_I regret to inform you that I cannot do anything about Dumbledore's behavior toward your halfbreed pet. As you know, Dumbledore will do anything to sabotage our way of life, so make sure you keep your pet safe and protected. I will supply you with any money you require to make sure he has adequate protection. As he is now part of our bloodline, I will do everything in my power to keep him safe, as I know you will._

_Dumbledore is the leader of the pro-Mudblood movement and is also a part of the group to abolish blood bonds. Although I was displeased with your underhandedness in binding your pet to you, I now understand your haste. There is a possibility that a law will be soon passed to make bloodline and magic bondings like the one your pet has to you illegal. He will not have lawful protection and could be removed from Hogwarts and expelled from the Wizarding world, or possibly sent to Azkaban. I assume you do not wish for this to happen, and so I am doing my best to keep such a law from being passed._

_Son, I am proud of you. You are standing up for what is right and just, and I can only hope you are teaching your pet to do the same. Teach him how the Mudbloods have stolen our magic, how halfbreeds are infiltrating our world, how halfbloods are becoming more prominent than purebloods, and how purebloods are turning against their ideals and supporting diluting and dirtying their blood. Teach him all I have taught you. He is impressionable and while magically strong, he is currently mentally weak, and if you properly train him, he will be a true Malfoy, even with his unfortunate blood status._

_On Narcissa: no, you did not break any of the betrothal agreements. I am proud you still wish to marry her instead of your pet. It would be a disgrace to the Malfoy name if one of our sons married a halfbreed pet instead of a prominent pureblood, well-bred lady. You may keep your pet in any manner you wish—I have changed that manner of the contract and you are no longer bound to her. She is still bound to you and will be a proper pureblood wife. Her parents also give you permission to punish her if she steps out of line. Their only request is that she is not permanently marred, of course._

_I wish to know how you are faring after your punishment. I gave potions to your pet with which to heal you and I hope he did as such. He is very loyal to you and it is good you picked him up now before he was taken by another. Although he is physically unattractive and will not grow out of it, he is desirable in other traits—his magical skills, for one, will make him a very important piece in this war. Make sure he is completely loyal and do not allow him to stray, in any manner. Although it is unorthodox, if I were you, I would take him before the year is out. Turn him into a true companion, not just a pet. It is your choice, however, and it is quite possible he will be more loyal if kept a virgin._

_Do not, under any circumstances, allow him to associate with any Mudbloods or those of mixed blood. Keep him close, keep him safe._

_Your father,  
__Abraxas Abélard Malfoy  
__Lord Malfoy_

Severus handed the letter back with a blush marring his sharp features. He went over Lucius's essay while the older boy read his father's letter, and looked up in confusion when Lucius shifted uncomfortably right before he looked up at him, a strange look in those silver-grey eyes. Lucius pulled Severus back against his chest and sighed, wrapping both arms around the smaller boy and holding him close.

Severus smiled and curled into Lucius, his magic fluttering over him like a heavy, warm blanket.

(O.o)

Nessie had had Peeves copy the letter Lucius had left on his nightstand and was now trying to read it. He had had reading lessons from Severus before school but didn't remember most of it, and was on his way to find the Baron to see if the bloody ghost would read it for him. He had been through most of the dungeons when the Baron's deep voice sounded from behind him.

"Ah, young companion. Who are you searching for so late?"

Nessie turned around and smiled slightly. "Y'u. I h've a r'qu'st t' m'ke."

"Make it, child."

Nessie took a deep breath and handed his copy of the letter out. He didn't know how Peeves had managed to make a copy that he could touch, but wouldn't think on it now. "I w's w'nder'ng if y'u c'uld r'ad th's f'r me."

"You cannot read, young companion?" the Baron asked as he took the letter. The magic of the letter shimmered and when Nessie tried to touch it again, his fingers went right through it.

Nessie shrugged and then replied, "N't v'ry w'll." He wasn't particularly ashamed to admit it in front of the Baron, as the Baron had never judged him, and most likely never would, especially after seeing so many strange students pass through these hallowed halls.

The Baron nodded and after herding Nessie into a room deep into the dungeons where he would not be overheard, he quietly read the letter out loud and wished to could take the boy in his arms when Nessie only stared up at him.

"I d'n't und'rst'nd," Nessie finally whispered, and the Baron tried to explain the part that he knew Nessie cared about. The small companion looked frozen, as if he was just told the world was ending, and the Baron supposed, in a way, it had.

"Son, your Severus is bound, magic and blood, to the Malfoy boy. That means he belongs to Lucius, much like how you belong to him. Severus is now property of Lucius Malfoy and the Malfoy family and is under the Lord Malfoy's protection, magically and legally. Although Lucius should have told Dumbledore of the Annulus bonding, since it is required for the Headmaster to know if a student is bound, Dumbledore stepped out of line and never should have asked to see the ring. That is not only rude but shows he has no concern for his students, as it could make your Severus very sick."

"H'w do y'u kn'w wh't h'ppen'd in th' off'ce?" Nessie queried, biting his lip.

"I was there, of course. Invisibility is a very useful skill, young companion, and you should utilize it while you still have the ability. Now, let me continue. So not only did Dumbledore ask to see your Severus's ring, he also asked how far the bond had progressed. That is akin to asking someone if they have mixed blood or are a Mudblood. It is about as rude as it possible to be. I was surprised Lucius did not Floo his father and have him suspend Dumbledore for slandering the good and high Malfoy name. It is clear just how much Lucius cares for your Severus by that he did not demand Dumbledore to apologize immediately, as he was more concerned for Severus than he was for the Malfoy name. I do not think that what you are worrying about will happen, though."

"Wh't?"

The Baron took a deep breath and turned slightly away from the boy, intentionally rattling his chains. "Lucius will not take Severus, not in the way you fear. Lucius is physically attracted to Severus, but I do not think he will take it any further than how it is already. Severus will protest and Lucius will not push him. Your Severus is really very lucky to have found someone who cares so deeply for him, yourself notwithstanding. Do not worry about your Severus, young companion, he is in good hands."

Nessie nodded and twisted his fingers together as he looked down at the ground. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't manage it, and he disappeared before the Baron's eyes.

* * *

A/N: I am going to attempt to write 50,000 words for this story for NaNoWriMo. That will put this story at about 130,000 words (hopefully) by the end of the month. I hope each chapter will be about 3000-4000 words, updated either daily or every other day.** I would sincerely appreciate support and reviews.**  
Starting total word amount: ~82000  
Ending chapter word amount: ~95000


	61. Chapter Sixtyone, Even

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Sixty-one:  
Even

_All human beings should try and learn before they die  
__what they are running from and to and why.  
_James Thurber

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Fifteenth**

Nessie was floating at the foot of Lucius's bed when Severus woke up, wearing fancy green robes and bare feet. Severus sat up, Lucius's hand falling from his chest to his waist, and Nessie floated forward to take Severus's hand. The two of them sat together for a few long minutes before Nessie quietly said, "I w'sh to c'ngrat'l'te y'u on y'ur b'nding w'th L'c'us."

"Thank you," Severus whispered, keeping as quiet as possible as to make sure he didn't disturb Lucius. They were quiet once again before Severus lowly asked, "Are you still mine?"

"Alw'ys," Nessie replied immediately, and knelt before him, butterfly fluttering happily around his head.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Eighteenth**

"_Obliviate._"

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **April the Twentieth**

Severus tensed in Lucius's arms and made one quick movement to escape before falling back in defeat. Lucius paid no attention and merely continued his story. "The Malfoy family is an ancient, noble and high house. The Black line runs closely parallel to ours and we oft breed with them, as is only proper. We have been pure since the first wizard, and would rather die out than dirty our blood. You are now a part of this family, my Severus, and will listen to me until I am finished." Severus sighed but moved back to curl against Lucius's chest. "Good boy. Now, as I was saying.

"I am the Regent son of the Malfoy line, as well as the heir, which means I am next in line for the Lordship, as well as the one who would receive everything to the Malfoy name if the current Lord dies. The heir is not chosen by the current Lord but goes to the youngest Malfoy son; I was my grandfather's heir while he was still Lord, but I only became the Regent son when my father became the Lord Malfoy. My father is Lord Malfoy and the Malfoy Head of Family, which means he manages family properties, finances, political affiliates and other things that I'll learn once I am made Lord. As the Head of Family, he settles disputes between family members and chooses who each Malfoy child will be betrothed to. My grandfather chose Narcissa for me and my father rewrote the betrothal contract between us when he was made Head of Family.

"There is a tradition amongst the old blood families, such as the Malfoys, Blacks and before Eileen Prince fell into obscurity, the Prince house as well, that the Regent son and/or heir takes what is commonly referred to as a companion. A companion is a young boy, generally between the age of eight and thirteen, who is taught by the Regent son and/or heir not only how to please in bed"—Severus froze and Lucius pet the boy's greasy hair—"but how to properly represent the house he is affiliated with. It is common for the Regent son to replace his companion in his bed with his wife and keep his companion as a trusted confidant or advisor, but it is not unheard of for the Regent son to keep his companion in his bed after he is married and only have relations with his wife to produce an heir. It is improper for a wife to have relations with anyone other than her husband, and if she does as such, it is grounds for immediate divorce." Lucius paused and released his tight grasp on his boy, unsure if Severus wished to escape.

Severus, however, merely relaxed but threw Lucius a wary glance as he frowned, pushing his hair back from his face. "I will explain a proper pureblood divorce to you when it matters for you to know. Now, you are not a companion. You are tied to me, and if I so wished it, it would be very easy to take you as a companion, but I feel that is not where you and I are headed. However, I must know by the end of the school year as to solidify your place in the Malfoy bloodline."

"I don't understand what you mean," Severus muttered, his voice dark as he examined Lucius's face.

"There is a ritual that binds a companion in a different manner in which you are bound to me. It would make it so you would be unable to take any other to your bed that is not me, and if I decided to keep you, you would never be allowed to take another. It is simply how the magic works. The Annulus is part of that ritual, in fact; you already cannot stand another's touch. However, if I did not take you as a proper companion and merely left you as someone who belongs to me, we would have to solidify that place in your magic and in the bloodline with a ritual. If we do not do a ritual, I don't particularly know what your magic would do, and I don't wish to find out. Now, I assume I know your feelings on this, but tell me clearly anyway."

"I don't want to be your companion!" Severus cried, and struggled to get away. Lucius merely looked down at his boy, amusement clear in his face, and simply kept his arms about the boy until Severus stopped struggling. He would not take the boy if Severus did not want it, after all. While he would love to see the boy writhing underneath him as he pounded into him, Lucius knew it was unrealistic. He cared far too much for Narcissa, and Severus, to use the boy and then essentially throw him away.

"I can see. You do realize that it will be unlikely you will be able to take anyone to your bed in the future, as you will be considered my property, and the Annulus will not allow anyone to touch you unless I change it."

Severus merely stared at him, uncomprehending for a few long moments, before the boy flushed and turned his head into Lucius's chest and slowly nodded. "I don't think I want anyone, anyway," Severus mumbled, because it was what Lucius wanted to hear, and clutched him close.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **May the Twenty-ninth**

Peeves was taunting an extremely tired-looking Lupin and Severus was watching with narrowed eyes. He had noticed that Lupin was often exhausted, on average, about once a month, and he knew it meant something, but, for the life of him, couldn't figure out _what_. It was a good thing he was in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors—that was something he never thought he would say—so he could try to figure it out.

Severus shook himself from his thoughts and leaned against Lucius's side as he turned his attention back to the heavy book in his lap, a faintly disgusted look on his face as he read. Rosier, who sat on his other side—as was their custom, Severus between Lucius and Rosier—set his hand on the bench behind Severus and leaned on it to read over Severus's shoulder. The boy somehow managed to find the most fascinating books. Severus froze and slowly turned his head to glare at the elder Slytherin, causing Rosier to chuckle roughly under his breath and turn back to his breakfast.

"Shouldn't be reading such books in public," Rosier grumbled, throwing an intent glance up at the Head Table, where Dumbledore was engaged in conversation with McGonagall and Slughorn. The Headmaster slowly turned his head to stare at them and Rosier snorted, shaking his head. "Filthy Mudblood lover," he snorted, and turned back to his breakfast.

Severus could only nod and briefly closed his eyes when Lucius wrapped an arm about his waist, his magic briefly sparking and then settling hot in his gut.

(O.o)

Vaisey had not been saving Severus a seat in Defense Against the Dark Arts when Rosier had accompanied him, and after Rosier had looked him over and then herded him to a seat, Severus had sat alone in the empty classroom, waiting the ten or so minutes until the class began. Their Professor, a stern disciplinarian who had hunted werewolves for twenty years before taking the job as a favor to Dumbledore, rushed into the classroom and glared at Severus for a few minutes before turning away and going through a pile of parchments on the teacher's desk at the front of the classroom. Severus stared at his knees while the other students filed into the classroom and he moved his wand through his fingers as Potter and Black filed into the desk in front of him.

Vaisey dropped his books and sat gracefully down into the seat next to Severus, who told him, "That book you found for me is real good. Even Rosier wanted to read it, but he wants to read all my books. Did you find any more like it?"

"Sev?"

Severus's head twisted around and he stared in shock at Lily, who was perched on the chair next to him, wide green eyes cutting into him like sharp wire. Those damned eyes…they were one of the reasons Severus had gone along with Lucius demanding he stop his acquaintance with Lily—they reminded him too much of Nessie, and if he couldn't spend every waking moment with Nessie, it was easier not to be reminded of him at all—along with the fact that he simply liked Lucius more than he ever liked Lily. "Evans," he simply replied, and turned his head back to stare at his books.

"You've been avoiding me," she told him, just like at Slughorn's party, and this time, Severus merely nodded. He didn't particularly care about her right now; she would probably try to touch him again, and this time, Lucius wasn't there to solidify him again. "You should at least have the decency to tell me why," she sniffed, and Severus frowned. What could he say? _Oh, sorry, Lils, you see, I belong to Lucius now, and since I'm basically tied to him forever, I have to do what he says while ignoring the invisible boy I love more than anything else in the world because I'm Lucius's and that means the world, so that's why I've been ignoring you._ Because that would make sense.

So Severus merely nodded again and threw Vaisey a furious glare as Vaisey and Selwyn took the desk behind him. Vaisey and Selwyn exchanged dark glances and Selwyn sneered, moving his wand in a strange pattern before leaning back in his chair, dark eyes never leaving Lily's pale form. As their Professor began lecturing on basic defensive spells, Selwyn slowly began insulting Lily in his strangely rough voice, causing the Gryffindor to begin shifting uncomfortably in her seat, anger flushing her cheeks as she fisted her hands in her robes. Severus sneered nastily at her when she turned to look at him, and then he turned his attention back to the Professor, bending over his parchment to take down notes.

Lily leaned over and prodded Severus in the side with her wand. Severus slowly turned his head, his hair brushing across the parchment, and he stared at her. "Yes?" he drawled, doing his best to keep his eyes wide and innocent, a look he knew he was particularly pathetic at pulling off.

She frowned at him but something hard in her face seemed to melt slightly. "You should tell those friends of yours to leave me alone."

Severus lifted his head from his notes and very obviously looked her over. "It is a poor example of a witch who needs a wizard to defend her," was all he would say, even when Lily tried to rile him up by insulting his relationship with Lucius. That was entirely different, of course. Lily had no understanding of Lucius and him, and therefore her judgment meant nothing to him.

(O.o)

After Severus was quite firmly asleep in Lucius's bed, Lucius left his rooms and made his way to Slytherin commons, where he knew Vaisey was waiting for him. As he stepped into the light cast off by the fireplace, Vaisey looked up and paled, immediately setting his homework aside as he clearly put his wand on the floor in front of him. Lucius took a seat and merely looked at the tall first year until he began to shift uncomfortably.

"I asked one thing of you, Vaisey, and that was to keep my pet safe, to keep him away from those of dirtied blood. You failed. The Mudblood Evans touched him, and let me ask, did you know that being touched by a Mudblood affects him far more than even a halfbreed or a halfblood?" Vaisey shook his head, keeping his wary gaze on the wand in Lucius's grasp. "It's not as if you do not have reimbursement, Vaisey. Tell me, are you not being paid enough to care? Selwyn is not being paid and he still protects my pet. Now, I must know: why was that Mudblood allowed to even be within ten feet of my pet, let alone touch him and speak to him?" Lucius thundered, pushing to his feet, the light from the fire throwing his features into shadow.

Vaisey did not recoil but his eyes were wide and terrified. "Lucius, I—I was—" he faltered and his voice failed him for a few long moments, in which Lucius slowly stepped closer to him, darkness passing over the Malfoy heir's distinctive features and not leaving. "I was sending a letter off to my mother. She's very sick and I—"

"It was necessary you sent off the letter before—"

"She's dying, Lucius! Your little _pet_ was safe enough; for that matter, why didn't Rosier stay with him? Rosier could have waited and made sure Evans didn't sit next to him, or why didn't Selwyn do it? Maybe you should teach him to take care of himself instead of—"

"_Silencio_." Lucius leaned forward and twisted his hand in Vaisey's brown hair, tugging the boy forward until he was on his feet. "Let me explain something to you, Vaisey, before you start believing you're above your station. I am the Slytherin prince; I am _Lucius Malfoy_, son of Abraxas Malfoy. I own Severus Snape and I own Slytherin. I am perfectly capable of ruining your life. I can fund your mother's recovery or I can go and kill her myself. You lot have been told time and time again that if you work for me and keep what is mine safe, I will repay you. Surely you are enough of a Slytherin to realize that did not only mean money! _Finite_."

Vaisey slumped in Lucius's grasp but still glared weakly up at him. "They say she has dragon pox, Lucius! She's too weak, there's no way she'll survive this!"

Lucius sneered and threw the boy back in his seat. Vaisey recoiled at Lucius's glare. "Then I will send my father to see her. But that is not what I am speaking of, Vaisey! Answer me—will you—"

Vaisey glared petulantly and interrupted Lucius with a drawled, "Fine, Lucius. I will keep your boy safe. But only if you help my mother."

Without looking away from the first year, Lucius bellowed, "Mulciber!" and the boy came running. "Take this…this _boy_ to the unwarded room. He needs to be taught a lesson." Mulciber grinned and complied, dragging Vaisey along, ignoring the other boy's protests and struggles.

Lucius watched them leave, attempting to regain his anger, and went up to get a sleepy kiss on the corner of his mouth from Severus before going to the unwarded room. He would have full obedience, even if he had to break the boy to get it.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **June the First**

Severus yawned into Lucius's chest, pressing his ear to Lucius's chest and slowly shutting his eyes to the sound of Lucius's strong heartbeat. One of Lucius's hands pet Severus's hair and the other ran down his spine and over his bum and down the back of his thighs, calming Severus with the extensive skin-to-skin contact. Slowly, the hand in Severus's hair moved down and intertwined their fingers, causing Severus's magic to tickle and tremor before he relaxed completely and soon fell asleep.

It had been a difficult first day of exams but Lucius was, strangely enough, not tired. He merely lay there, Severus upon him, and contemplated his ceiling until he found enough strength to fall asleep.

Nessie rushed into the room after Peeves told him both Slytherins were asleep and very gently placed a blood-red rose onto the nightstand. He brushed a kiss over Severus's cheek and watched the older boy sleep until Peeves called him away; they had mischief to manage, after all.

* * *

A quick note: there _will_ be bestiality in this fic. To anyone who remembered when I said there wasn't going to be any, I forgot about another pairing in this fic that will contain bestiality. There will be _no_ bestiality with Nessie, Severus or Lucius. The bestiality will begin later in 1972, and will begin as explicit dub-con chan slash. It will be the only non-canon pairing. I will warn for it at the beginning of the chapters it is in and will also write in what time frame/dates it is in. If it squicks anyone, I apologize. Well, no, not really. Don't read it if you don't like it.  
A/N: I am going to attempt to write 50,000 words for this story for NaNoWriMo. That will put this story at about 130,000 words (hopefully) by the end of the month. I hope each chapter will be about 3000-4000 words, updated either daily or every other day. **I sincerely appreciate feedback and reviews.  
**Starting total word amount: ~82000  
Ending chapter word amount: ~99000  
For some reason, this chapter was excruciating to write. I hope it is up to standard.  
As I have said before, the 300th reviewer wins a Harry Potter slash one-shot written by me. I will PM the winner; it cannot be an anonymous review or it will go to the 301st reviewer.


	62. Chapter Sixtytwo, Blankets

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Sixty-two:  
Blankets

_Not until we are lost  
__do we begin to find ourselves.  
_Henry David Thoreau

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **June the Second**

Body sagging with tiredness, Severus rolled away from where he had been pressed against Lucius's side and grudgingly felt for the shirt he had left on the nightstand. His fingers brushed against something soft and Severus slowly opened his eyes, looking at a dark red rose. He murmured Nessie's name and pulled the rose to his chest, rolling back over to fall back asleep against Lucius's warm side. The blond automatically spread his hand across Severus's back and slowly opened his eyes.

"Where did you—"

"Nightstand," Severus muttered and propped his chin up on Lucius's chest, bringing the rose up to examine it. Lucius plucked the rose from Severus's grasp, and as he was examining it, Severus turned his head to see Nessie floating at the end of the bed, a soft look on his perfect face. Severus smiled at his boy and ignored the way his arms ached to hold Nessie. Nessie mouthed '_I love you_' and quickly came over to press a kiss to Severus's cheek before leaving the room. Severus watched him leave before turning his attention back to Lucius.

"Do you know who gave this to you?" Lucius asked, a dark look in his gaze as he frowned down at Severus. The tiredness fled Severus's body as he looked from the rose to Lucius's face.

Severus did his best to shrug while lying down. "I figured it was for you."

The dark look didn't leave Lucius's eyes as he slowly queried, "Do you know what this is?"

"A rose."

"Not just a rose, little Severus. It is a blood rose." Severus didn't reply and merely waited for Lucius to expound; a blood rose? That didn't sound particularly pleasant. A nasty, cruel look crossed over Lucius's face and didn't leave. "It is often given to someone by a person wishing to seek romantic interest in them. So, my pet, what have you been doing?"

(O.o)

Severus ignored the way Lucius insisted on glaring at the Gryffindor table, only leaning into the older boy's side when Lucius moved closer to him. He was going over his notes for the History of Magic exam he had in just over an hour-and-a-half, eating only when Lucius put something on his plate. He wasn't all that nervous, as he was one of the few students in Binns' class that actually paid attention, but Black and Potter and been giving him dark looks all breakfast and he was worried they were going to sabotage his test. He wouldn't put it past them; they were world-class bullies, after all.

Lily had been watching Severus, as well, causing Lucius to turn rather protective, and when she had come over to ask Severus if he was ready for the History of Magic exam, she had met the business end of Lucius's wand and hadn't even been able to talk to Severus. Lucius was convinced it was Lily that had given Severus the blood rose, which didn't make any sense. How could she have gotten it into their rooms? She didn't know anyone other than him in Slytherin and Severus didn't think she even knew where their commons were. The only ones who did were probably the Hufflepuffs, and that was because the Hufflepuffs knew everything about everyone in the school. He thought of telling Lucius as such but figured it wouldn't make a difference.

Severus sighed, resting his head on Lucius's shoulder when the blond put his arm around Severus's shoulders, ignoring the glare Narcissa gave him from across the Slytherin table. He didn't like her much, especially the way she tried to sit between Severus and Rosier or the way she would try to _touch_ him, even if it was just to pet his hair like Lucius did, or when she would distract Lucius from him when they were having a conversation. Severus didn't think he was particularly possessive of the older Slytherin, as he had no problems with Lucius talking to anyone else or spending time with Narcissa, but he thought it was rather irritating when she would take Lucius's attention away from him when Lucius had been talking to him first.

Obnoxious woman. He was rather pleased that Nessie wasn't female; women just seemed to do their best to get in the way and get bothered about the strangest things.

Severus flicked his own gaze over the Gryffindor table, doing his best to ignore Black's sneer, attempting to see what had Lucius so worried. Lily was looking at him with those wide green eyes and Severus ignored that as well, and there wasn't anyone else at the whole table that was looking at him. Narcissa was still glaring at him, however, and Severus wondered if he should move away from Lucius so that strange, terrible look would leave her face. However, Severus still liked Lucius more than he liked what others thought of him, and therefore simply turned his attention back to his History of Magic notes, proceeding to ignore everyone other than Lucius. It was only right, after all.

(O.o)

Fisting his hands in his robes, Severus sat down next to Lucius at the Slytherin table, a dark scowl on his face and disgust in his gaze. He had never hated someone as much as he hated those Gryffindors. Merlin damn that Potter. Fury rose up, burning hot, and Severus wondered, for a moment, if he just let his magic go if it would kill those stupid Gryffindors. Accidental magic and all that.

A heavy hand pulled him out of the rage and Severus turned his head to lean it against Lucius's side. "I hate Gryffindors," he rasped, squeezing his eyes shut, and slowly, far too slowly, his magic settled, contentment sweeping away the pain.

Rosier commented that they could go after Black again but Severus ignored it, unsure as to what he was talking about. He didn't recall anyone saying they were going to get Black, and only wished he could have seen it. He wanted to watch Black and Potter bleed, make them watch their insipid friends be tortured and hurt like how Nessie had been hurt, he wanted to torture them…he just wanted them _gone_. Instead, he focused on what Rosier had said and asked Lucius about it.

The length of time Lucius didn't answer felt never-ending, but Severus waited, smoothing out his robes as he did. "Later, pet," Lucius finally told him. "You will be told when it matters."

Severus nodded and curled into Lucius's side when the older boy brought his arm about Severus's shoulders. "I hate them," he whispered, and felt Lucius pet his hair.

"I know."

(O.o)

As they had after his History of Magic exam, Potter and Black followed Severus up to the Great Hall, Lupin and Pettigrew straggling behind. This time, however, Selwyn was with him, and was telling Severus of what he had done over Easter Break, much to the smaller boy's boredom. Severus knew it was to keep him distracted from the Gryffindors, but it wasn't particularly working, and he simply wanted to turn around and show those _insipid_ monsters what Lucius had been teaching him over the past year. He couldn't however, and ignored Potter's insults and Black calling him Lucius's lap-dog. He'd rather be Lucius's lap-dog than a Gryffindor!

"Lucius told me Vaisey is still in the Hospital Wing," Severus suddenly told Selwyn, who nodded and threw him a strange look, as if there was something Severus should know but didn't. Severus knew he was out of some manner of loop in Slytherin House, but didn't particularly care. He would be told what mattered when it mattered.

Selwyn nodded again and replied in that strange rough voice of his, "Yeah. Been there since end of May. Pomfrey says he can't use his hands and can't tell anyone who did it to him." Selwyn gave him that same strange look but Severus ignored it. "You got any ideas, Severus? On who could've done it to him?"

Severus frowned and turned to him. "You should know by now I don't care," Severus informed the taller first year, and proceeded to ignore him. Selwyn chuckled and herded Severus into the Great Hall, throwing the Gryffindors a nasty look as they parted ways. Black said something about pureblood whores and Severus saw the look passed between Lucius and Rosier as he sat down.

"How was your Defense exam?" Lucius asked as he piled food on Severus's plate, looking curiously down at the smaller boy.

Severus glowered at him but sullenly replied, "Fine, I suppose. We had to write an essay on all possible uses for the Knock-Back Jinx. Terrip only wanted three feet but I wrote five. Black insisted on sitting next to me and spent the entire hour…well, being quite rude." Severus sniffed and turned to his food, some strange dark look in his black gaze. Lucius lifted his hand to pull his fingers through Severus's hair, ignoring the grease that transferred slickly to his fingers, and slowly tugged on the boy's uneven hair until Severus was mulishly looking up at him. Lucius examined his boy's strange, ugly face until Severus sighed and moved to lean his forehead into Lucius's shoulder.

Lucius frowned and pulled Severus into his lap, turning his head to stare at Selwyn, who nodded slightly. "Very well," Lucius grunted, and ordered Severus to return to his meal. He would have to start the boy on proper propriety lessons this summer; he wasn't going to change Severus, exactly—after all, Severus wouldn't be Severus if he wasn't rude and sullen and ugly—but he still had the Malfoy name to look after. He had no illusions that the Prophet would not catch wind of Severus being attached to the Malfoy bloodline, and there would be a great deal of talk about how Abraxas and Abélard had gone soft by letting Lucius keep a little halfbreed pet, Prince blood or not.

After he finished eating, Severus turned his head into Lucius's shoulder when Lucius lowly murmured his name. "We are going back to our quarters now, my own," Lucius whispered, and Severus complied, ignoring Narcissa's and Bellatrix's glares as he was set on his feet and Lucius's hand was caressing the back of his neck. Lucius turned around in his seat and ran critical silver-grey eyes over Severus's mildly rumpled form. He would have to start those lessons tonight.

"Come, my pet," Lucius breathed, and steered Severus out of the Great Hall. As they left, Peeves and Nessie swooped in and threw empty ink pots at the Hufflepuffs.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **June the Tenth**

"Do you like Quidditch?" Lucius asked suddenly, turning to Severus as he stopped next to a window, silver-grey gaze on the figures moving out to the Quidditch Pitch and the crowd of babbling students behind them. It was the last Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw, and Lucius had no interest of going or even listening to the rendition he knew he was going to have suffer through at dinner. Severus had never shown any interest in flying other than once remarking that while he liked flying, the Hogwarts brooms seemed to have a particular dislike for him.

Severus leaned against his side, black eyes focused on the students. "No. I find flying enjoyable but the game nauseating. It seems entirely pointless and would take time away from my studies."

"Would you like to go for a flight?" Lucius queried as he turned his attention to the small boy at his side, looking at his sharp gaze, overlarge nose, the prim, firm set of his mouth, his weak chin and the Annulus catching the light as he set his hands on the ledge of the open window. Severus's poor-quality robes hung loosely from his thin arms and dragged on the ground behind him, his dull shoes poking out from the hem, high collar brushing his jaw and the back of his head, thick hair hanging over his face. He was still small and Lucius didn't think he had grown an inch the entire school year, which worried him greatly, especially with the added Nutrition and Restorative Potions.

Severus turned those bright eyes onto him and Lucius felt his breath catch in his throat. He didn't understand how this mutt of a boy could have such an effect on him. Narcissa, the epitome of a potential pureblood wife, had never made his stomach swoop and his chest tighten and his breath stop. Occasionally, he wondered if it was a mistake not to take the boy as a companion. Occasionally, he was thankful he hadn't.

Occasionally, Lucius felt like Severus was drowning him and he never wanted to be rescued.

"Not on the school brooms," Severus grumbled and threw the students still filing out of the school a nasty look. "I get thrown off the school brooms."

Lucius nodded and set his hand on the back of Severus's neck, watching Severus bow his head forward so Lucius could slip his hand under the boy's hair and calm them both with the skin-to-skin contact. Lucius watched Severus relax, the boy's frantic, Dark magic relaxing around them, blanketing them both, and Lucius gently offered, "I have a Nimbus 1001 in my rooms. Would you like me to take you out later?"

Severus gave him a small smile and before Lucius could stop himself, he bent over and pressed a chaste kiss to the boy's thin lips. Severus smiled against Lucius's mouth but made no other movement, and Lucius cupped the back of Severus's head and intensified the pressure for a brief moment before straightening up and looking down at his boy. He pulled Severus to him and rasped, "Mine."

Severus surrendered with a murmured, "Yours."

(O.o)

Peeves was the one who brought their attention to Severus and Lucius walking close together after dinner, and Nessie told Peeves they were going to go down and watch and fly with them. He had been in the Great Hall during dinner and heard Lucius and Severus talking about flying on Lucius's new broom, and Severus hadn't even seen him. That was alright, though. Nessie didn't mind, or pretended not to, because just as long as he was still Severus's, then Severus could be Lucius's, since there wasn't anything Nessie could do about it.

And, anyway, they would be going back to Spinner's End soon and then Nessie would have Severus all to himself, with no Lucius for two whole months. Nessie smiled secretively at the thought and grabbed Peeves's hand, pulling his friend out of the castle. He waved at Nearly Headless Nick as they passed by him, and the ghost pulled his head away to make Nessie laugh. Nessie complied and darted after Peeves, listening to Peeves's ideas on more pranks.

"And th'n we c'n p't Mrs. N'rris in s'me of th' arm'r!" Nessie cried, causing Peeves to cackle.

"And wee Nessie Bessie can put his wee hands in terrible Headmasterships bum! Causes Headmastery to jump around like a jack rabbit!" Peeves blew a raspberry and Nessie tried to copy him but couldn't manage it. "And then Peevsie will steal Potter the Rotter's bed!" Cackling, Peeves led Nessie to the Quidditch Pitch, where Lucius and Severus were standing close together, Lucius's broom on the ground next to them. Peeves cried out, "Why, greasy greased Snapey is greasing all over the Pitch! And"—Peeves darted down and pulled on Lucius's hair, causing the Slytherin to pull out his wand and threaten to curse him—"it looks to Peevsie as if long-locks Lucy is going to steal greasy grease Snapey!" Peeves turned and bellowed toward the castle, "Students on the Pitch! Students out of bed! Students out of bed!"

Nessie rolled his eyes and moved down to inspect Lucius's broom as Lucius demanded for Peeves to leave them be, standing protectively in front of Severus's small form. Severus turned his attention to Nessie and unobtrusively held out his hand. Nessie took it, sighing happily as he quickly pressed himself to Severus's side, and then moved away as Peeves began yelling about stealing hair from the unicorns and centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. Nessie mouthed '_I love you_' to Severus, and then followed Peeves.

(O.o)

Lucius scowled as Peeves left them and blindly reached behind him to pull Severus to his side. "Merlin damn that poltergeist," he growled, and looked down at Severus's faintly amused face.

"Long-locks Lucy?" Severus drawled, but Lucius merely rolled his eyes, firmly flicking his hair back over his shoulders.

Lucius swung his head around to make certain they were still alone before firmly holding his hand out to his side and barking, "Up!" His Nimbus 1001 shot up into his hand and Lucius swung a leg over, raising an eyebrow at Severus until the boy huffed and clambered on in front of him, firmly sitting back against Lucius's chest, the two of them molding together until Severus couldn't tell where he ended and Lucius began.

One of Lucius's strong hands wrapped around the shaft of the broomstick and his other hand wrapped around Severus's waist, holding his boy close to him. Severus's hands wrapped around the broom as well and he set his weight back into Lucius as Lucius readied himself, and then pushed off.

In the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore watched sadly through the window as two figures on a single broomstick flew in ever-expanding circles above the Quidditch Pitch and then faster and faster over the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake. He had felt that strange presence that had been around the Snape boy in other places around the castle, but had always been distracted by the strange way Peeves would bother him or how he couldn't help but be concerned by how close the Snape boy was getting to Lucius Malfoy. Dumbledore knew a great deal about the Malfoy family history, and although they had attempted to conceal it, he knew that Malfoys were notorious for practicing the Dark Arts, which had only been confirmed by Lucius's ownership of the Snape boy.

Dumbledore sadly shook his head and sighed, feeling his old bones creak. The Vaisey boy was still in the Hospital Wing, unable to speak and slowly regaining the use of his brutalized hands. The boy's memory of the incident was locked down and Dumbledore could not get past the barriers; whoever had spelled the boy was frightfully powerful. He could only hope the Snape boy had nothing to do with it, but Dumbledore knew better by now than to hope for unreachable wishes.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **June the Thirtieth**

Severus stepped off the Hogwarts Express, Lucius's hand resting on the back of his neck with his fingers moving slightly to caress Severus's slightly greasy skin. Severus's dark eyes skipped over the platform and he looked to Nessie, floating casually behind Lucius, to have his boy go search for Eileen. Nessie bowed his head and complied, disappearing into the crowd.

Severus tried to move forward but Lucius's grasp stopped him. "Wait, my own," Lucius murmured, his voice somehow carrying to Severus through the din. "I must formally ask your mother for your attendance at the Black's Summer Ball. You know this." Severus grumbled but nodded his acquiesce, briefly closing his eyes and feeling his magic settle.

The crowd parted slightly and Lucius pushed Severus forward once he caught sight of his parents standing stiffly with the people around them automatically keeping a space of around five feet around them clear. Lucius smirked and bowed to his parents, causing Severus to roll his eyes and turn away. Abraxas inclined his head to his son and brought his wand out to Summon Lucius's trunks to his side, watching Severus's movements with amused silver-grey eyes. "Son," he greeted, "How are you faring?"

Lucius brought Severus closer to him as the boy continued looking around for his mother. After a few moments, Severus saw her, standing with her head bowed as people moved about her, and he surged forward out of Lucius's grasp, striding quickly over to his mother. Abraxas turned his mouth down but kept the faintly amused look in his gaze. "Are you asking him to the Summer Ball?"

Lucius nodded and turned to his father, occasionally glancing over his shoulder at Severus. "Yes. I must, of course, ask his mother." Abraxas nodded and Callidora couldn't stop herself—she moved forward and wrapped her son in her arms. Lucius stayed stiff, as was only proper in public, but firmly patted his mother's back right before she stepped away.

Callidora smiled. "It is good to see you, my son."

"Ask your boy's mother your question and we will be on our way," Abraxas ordered, and Lucius inclined his head before striding over to Severus and Eileen, Nessie shadowing behind him. Nessie was terrified of returning to Spinner's End—there was no way to say what Tobias would do to Severus, if the time away had changed the terrible man at all—but knew there was nothing to be done.

Lucius set his hand on Severus's shoulder after he bowed over the hand Eileen held out to him. "Madame Prince," he greeted, seeing the shock in her gaze; very few people knew who she was. She had been disinherited when she married Tobias and had all but left the Wizarding world, and therefore proper folks would not acknowledge her, as they shouldn't. Malfoys, however, did what the pleased, when they pleased-much like her son.

Eileen inclined her head slightly. "Heir Malfoy," she replied, her voice like Severus had never heard it—soft and gentle, unlike her usual harsh tones—and he frowned up at her.

They exchanged pleasantries, much to Severus's boredom, and he turned his head to see Abraxas and Callidora moving over to them, the crowd parting for them. Abraxas and Callidora stopped behind Lucius, flanking him, and greeted Eileen with their own set of pleasantries, causing Severus to sigh loudly and turn to see Nessie watching the exchange with an amused look on his delicate face. Nessie smiled and mouthed, '_Soon_.'

Severus tried not to nod and allowed Lucius to turn him back to the conversation. Lucius tucked him into his side as he drawled, "Madame Prince, I ask for your son's hand in accompanying me to the Black Summer Ball this July twenty-sixth, as well as permission for him to stay at Malfoy Manor until school resumes."

Eileen looked from Lucius to her son, seeing the brightness usually so absent in his eyes and the way he leaned trustingly against Lucius's side, the ring on his finger and his new clothes. She inclined her head. "Very well."

Severus turned his head and smiled.

* * *

A/N: I am going to attempt to write 50,000 words for this story for NaNoWriMo. That will put this story at about 130,000 words (hopefully) by the end of the month. I hope each chapter will be about 3000-4000 words, updated either daily or every other day. **I sincerely appreciate feedback and reviews.  
**Starting total word amount: ~82000  
Ending chapter word amount: ~103000

Congratulations to melissa Ivory for winning the 300th review one-shot!


	63. Chapter Sixtythree, Laughter

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Sixty-three:  
Laughter

_How much does a man live, after all?  
__Does he live a thousand days, or one only?  
__For a week, or for several centuries?  
__How long does a man spend dying?  
__What does it mean to say 'for ever'?  
_Pablo Neruda

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Second**

Severus slumped against the chain of the swing as he watched Nessie watch him, those solemn green eyes occasionally blocked by the excited flight of the paper butterfly. They had spent the past two days together, with every moment awkward and uncomfortable. Lucius had shadowed their every moment together for the past ten months and without the intimidating blond around, they weren't able to _be_ together like they had been before. Their few moments alone—and they were _so few_, Severus now realized—had been colored by Lucius's interference, and when Lucius hadn't been around, Severus was far more interested in schoolwork or reading up on curses than paying attention to Nessie.

He wanted to apologize but couldn't make his mouth work. Nessie was moving slowly closer to him, hands limp at his sides, wide eyes locked on Severus's face. Severus blurted out a question before he could stop himself, anything to stop the awkwardness that was building between them, "Why did you give me the blood rose?"

Nessie froze and twisted his hands in front of him—he seemed so much less now. "Bar'n t'ld me bl'od r'ses are m'de by l've and m'gic," he answered instead, and dropped those great green eyes from Severus's face, twisting his thin red lips as he hunched his shoulders forward and rubbed his shoes together. Severus's gut clenched but he didn't move. "I 'nly w'nted to sh'w y'u h'w m'ch I l'ved y'u."

Severus nodded and jumped out of the swing, taking the few steps to Nessie in two large strides, and yanked his boy into his arms. Nessie stayed rigid for a few too long seconds before slumping into Severus's grasp and clutching Severus's overlarge coat in his small hands. Severus could feel his magic burn and then settle, not in the same, best way it did when Lucius's touched him, but it was close enough for now. He wrapped his coat around Nessie and backed up to slowly sit on the swing, and he buried his nose in Nessie's hair and let his eyes fall shut.

(O.o)

Nessie couldn't stop himself from glancing around to make sure Lucius wasn't anywhere near as he greedily watched Severus slowly disrobe. Neither of them had said anything since the park, but they both knew they were going to spend the night in one another's arms, touching as much skin as they could. He figured that if Severus could touch him again then Severus wouldn't feel as if he had to go back to Lucius.

He couldn't even remember the last time Severus had kissed him.

Nessie had spent the past ten months without Severus. Yes, he had had moments, but nothing like what he had been used to. It was almost cruel, Severus's unintentional abandonment of him, to give Nessie all of him for so many years and then be so willingly carted away by some flashy, affectionate Slytherin that Nessie couldn't really hate because he had saved Severus and Severus was so much more important than Nessie, who didn't even _have_ Severus anymore and all he had left was just some half-knowledge that he was still Severus's and oh Merlin, Nessie thought he was going to explode. He knew that he really had no right to want all of Severus—but maybe if he had all of Severus now then Severus would suddenly become like his Uncle and no matter what, Nessie couldn't have that—but he _wanted_. He was such a needy, terrible boy, and Severus was most likely going to break all his fingers and all his toes and—

Severus was _kissing him_.

Nessie giggled into the kiss, languidly opening his lips and sucking Severus's tongue into his mouth. Severus's long fingers latched onto Nessie's hips and slipped under his boy's shirt and caressed pale skin.

"Sevvie," Nessie gasped, and twisted his hands in Severus's frock, feeling something dark and dreary inside of him burn away with Severus's light.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Third**

Severus leaned over and licked a long hot stripe up Nessie's neck, murmuring love sonnets against Nessie's pale, scarred skin.

"_I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,  
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.  
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,  
in secret, between the shadow and the soul._

_I love you as the plant that never blooms_  
_but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;_  
_thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,_  
_risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body._

_I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where._  
_I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;_  
_so I love you because I know no other way than this:_

_Where I does not exist, nor you,  
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,  
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep._"

Nessie squeezed his eyes shut, fisting his small hands in the dirty grey sheets on Severus's tiny, creaky bed as he whimpered and whined and tried to beg through the sleeve of the shirt in his mouth. Severus had told him he wasn't allowed to say anything and when Nessie had asked why, Severus had pushed the sleeve of his frock into Nessie's mouth and told him to be quiet. Nessie smiled through the shirt and then gasped as Severus nipped at his cheek.

Nessie softened immediately back against the bed when Severus murmured his name, and he leaned his head back to make certain Severus could access all of his neck. Using his lips and tongue, Nessie managed to pull more of the sleeve into his mouth until he could barely close his lips, causing Severus to pause and his black eyes to flare.

"Merlin, Nessie," Severus rasped, and sat back to simply stare down at his boy. That same strange tingly feeling he got in his stomach when he would tongue kiss Nessie or when he and Lucius would be in the bath together and Lucius would run his fingers down Severus's thighs passed through him and he shivered, bringing up a hand to brush it across Nessie's strained lips. Gently, he leaned forward to push a bit more of his sleeve into Nessie's mouth, shivering again when Nessie's hands untwisted from the sheets and rested on Severus's bare stomach. Severus wrapped long fingers around Nessie's wrists and slowly moved them up so Nessie's palms were flat against the wall behind Severus's bed, and he bent down to press a few quick kisses to Nessie's scarred, straining shoulders, keeping one hand around Nessie's wrists and the other cradling Nessie's jaw.

Nessie tried to speak through the clot of fabric in his mouth but it came out muffled and Severus felt something dark inside him jump. He took a deep breath and then moved up Nessie's body to press his mouth to Nessie's fluttering eyelids. "Je t'aime," he whispered, and felt himself burst.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Tenth**

Lily and Petunia were waiting for him when Severus stepped out of his house, kicking a rock between the two of them as Lily did her best to placate Tuney about her returning to Hogwarts in just over seven weeks. Severus rolled his eyes and lowly called out, "Evans! What are you doing here?" He tucked one hand into his pocket and wrapped long fingers around the letter Lucius had sent; only fifteen more days until he was going to taken away from his hell-hole. As Nessie slipped his hand into Severus's grasp, Severus added, "Trespassing is illegal, you know. I could have put up a ward to kill trespassers and you'd be dead."

Lily smiled and ran over to him, throwing her arms around him and pressing her face to his neck. Severus gagged and fell back from the sense of _wrongness_ rushing through him, and he shoved Lily off him, mind suddenly blank and fuzzy and oh Merlin, everything was _wrong_ now and even though Nessie was there and that was better than nothing, his magic was rebelling, he could _feel it_, all he wanted was Lucius there with him, those strong hands pulling him against a bare chest and oh Merlin he couldn't breathe.

Then Lily was screaming as Nessie pushed his hands into her shoulders and Severus was running back into the house, stumbling up the stairs and throwing everything about, just trying to find anything with a bit of Lucius still on it. Only fifteen more days…

When Nessie entered Severus's room just a minute or two later, Severus was huddled under a stolen red nightshirt on his bed, his pale face streaked red and his right hand tangled in his Salutem, the bed trembling with the force of his shakes.

"Oh, Sevvie," Nessie gasped, and moved over to the bed to kneel upon it, pressing himself against Severus until the older boy cried out Lucius's name and wrapped Nessie in his arms.

"I—don't leave me," Severus begged through clenched teeth as he struggled to control his magic, shutting his eyes as a particularly violent whip of magic slammed the door to his room shut. "Why did she touch me!"

Nessie only shrugged and moved in Severus's arms until their chests were pressed together and they were both huddled under the comforter and Severus was wrapped in the stolen nightshirt. As Severus slowly began to settle down, he shifted to pull Lucius's letter out of his pocket and push enough of the comforter aside so he could read it. Lucius's magic drifted off the thick parchment and Severus settled even more, the sensation of sick unease still running nastily through him. In those moments, he hated Lily more than he had ever hated anyone before.

_My pet,_

_I hope your time at home has treated you well, and that you are studying and staying away from the Mudblood girl. I understand that you may be lonely but it is only a few more weeks until you will see me. I wish your mother well and hope you pass on my expectation of her continued good health._

_I will admit, only upon parchment and under a specialized secrecy spell, that I have missed you, pet. My bed is empty without you and my resolve weakens by the day to not slip away and steal you in the night. I have found the ritual to finalize the blood triad bond between us—to solidify your place as my Amet. You will not be a companion, but a treasured pet, a lifelong advisor and friend. We will perform this ritual the night after the Black Ball. The Amet ritual is long and strenuous, but I know you are capable of surviving it. I understand that your magic might have become uncomfortable without my presence and so I have imbued this letter with my __own magic to keep you more comfortable._

_My father is pleased I am taking you to the Black Ball. It has been quite a few years since a proper Amet was taken in the Malfoy family and I know he looks forward to showing you off. Pets are far rarer than companions and far more treasured. I believe the last pet taken in the Malfoy family was over five generations ago, when Cronos Malfoy took Matthias Flint as a pet, and it is believed often took him to his bed. The last Black pet was three generations ago, when Cygnus Black II took Devereux Nott as a pet, and the last Potter pet was last generation, when Charlus Potter—the father of your despicable classmate—took Cetus Meliflua as a pet, and still lives with the Potter family. My father has met him and claims him to be a kind, powerful pureblood who is content to serve the family, and it is entirely possible your classmate does not know Cetus is a pet, as his reaction to your Annulus was strange for someone who knows of the blood triad. Remember all that, pet; you will be questioned at the Ball, especially by those who have met Cetus Meliflua._

_Your grandfather, Lewenhart Prince, had a companion—a true companion—known only as Davide. I did not have a chance to ask my grandfather about Davide and Lewenhart, but the little my father knows is that Abélard knew Lewenhart very well and was often invited to Prince Manor. Lewenhart was one of the few Lords who continued taking his companion to his bed after he was married._

_As you will be the only halfbreed at the Ball, my father will be placing a protective passive ward upon you before the Ball to protect you against any ill-doers. Once the final ritual to make you my pet is completed, you will no longer be a halfbreed—you will be a halfblood, as the magic of the ritual will erase any influence your Muggle father had upon your blood and magic. Your father will have to negate any ties to you by signing a type of bloodline contract, and you will become pure Prince. I will have you keep your father's filthy surname, as my father believes it to be wise, mostly because you are already known. He has other reasons but they are of no concern to you._

_Narcissa and Bellatrix are not pleased you will be attending the Ball; Andromeda has mentioned only that she is pleased for us. Narcissa leveled an official betrothal contract break complaint to her parents and it was immediately dismissed on the grounds that I am not bound to her and therefore I break no manner of our contract by keeping you mine. As she has gone against propriety, the rules of her Family and proper pureblood decorum, I am punishing her the night before the Ball. You will help, of course; she not only insulted me by claiming I would do something so uncouth as to demean her so, but also insulted you, and I will not have that. You are _mine_._

_My grandfather died last night—magical failure. It is common for a prior Head of Family to pass on soon after transferring the power of the family. It's often difficult for a wizard's magic to recuperate after such a change, especially in old age. You have been lucky, with your high level of power, to have not suffered more ill effects of the blood triad. My grandfather was magically powerful—as all Malfoys are—but aged. There was nothing to be done and he died in his bed. You will be questioned about what you know on his death and there will be talk of you not being my true pet because my father did not accept you. Do not listen to such drabble; you are mine, accepted by the Head of Family and on July twenty-seventh, you will become my Amet—the seventh in the Malfoy line. A very lucky and magical number, my pet._

_The Black Ball is very popular and well-known in the magical world, and every influential proper family will be represented there. You will most likely be the only proper pet at the Ball and will be dressed to your station. There will be talk of why I did not take you as a companion, and talk of why I was allowed to take in a little halfbreed as a pet, as well as the reasons I have for taking an Amet so young. I know you do not worry of much, but do not fear—I will protect you from their prying eyes and nasty, crude questions._

_I do miss you, my own._

_Lucius_

_Lucius Malfoy  
__Regent Malfoy  
__Heir Malfoy_

Severus smiled and laid his head down on Lucius's letter, pulling the comforter back over his head as he wrapped his arms back around Nessie's bare torso, the wrongness still sliding through his system but not to the same degree.

"'nly f'ft'en m're d'ys," Nessie assured him, and pressed a kiss to each over Severus's closed eyelids. "Th'n y'u'll s'e h'm ag'in."

Severus shuddered and moved his head down so he could hook his chin around Nessie's shoulder and entangle his legs with Nessie's, pressing a thigh to the crux of Nessie's pelvis. "Oh Slytherin, how I love you," Severus gasped, and felt Nessie smile against his skin.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Fifteenth**

Severus hadn't dared leave his room since Lily touched him. He was weak, broken, and knew he wouldn't be able to run if his father came after him. Although Tobias hadn't really been around, Severus knew his type and knew that if his father happened to see him, he'd be taken advantage of and probably stuck with another bottle. Nessie had been beautiful, supporting Severus through the vomiting, diarrhea and continuous nausea his magic was putting him through, petting his hair when he was bent over the toilet for hours or talking incessantly about Peeves and the Bloody Baron to distract Severus when it felt like his guts were trying to tear out through his stomach, or kissing him when he couldn't swallow down a throat that felt like it was on fire. Soft, small hands soothed his skin when his magic rebelled and Nessie kissed vomit-soaked lips when Severus cried.

He wanted to owl Lucius, to tell him he wouldn't survive ten more days of this, when another letter came, or it was the first letter and he just couldn't tell the difference. He couldn't read it through his tears as he retched up what was left of his stomach, and clutched the thick, magic-soaked parchment to his chest as Nessie wrapped pale arms around his waist, pressing his bare chest to Severus's back. "I l've y'u," Nessie murmured, and pressed quick kisses to the clammy skin on Severus's neck. "'nly t'n m're d'ys, and y'u'll be 'ble to s'e h'm ag'in."

Nessie told him multiple times every day how much longer he had to go without Lucius, and it was getting harder and harder to listen to him, as Severus found himself drifting in and out of lucidity, often thinking Nessie was his father or Potter or Black, or that Lucius had purposefully left him here for having committed some severe infraction, or that it had all been a dream and he was in a fever-induced delirium from when his father had stuck him with the bottle. He was crying and sobbing and begging for Lucius to return to him when the door opened.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Eighteenth**

It had taken three days for Lily's owl to return from Malfoy Manor, a roll of parchment in its beak and carrying two parcels. The mail-bird dropped the letter and parcels in Eileen's lap and then took off back out the open window. Eileen set the letter and parcels on the small person-and-a-half table in front of her and slowly made her way over to close the window. She looked out for a few long moments before returning to her seat.

The letter and parcels were addressed to Severus, so she quickly took them to her boy. She knew full well what Severus was suffering; after all, she had lived with her father and Davide and had seen what Davide had gone through when her father was gone for days and often weeks on business, as well as what he had endured when he had been touched by anyone other than Lewenhart. However, what her son was experiencing right now was far, far worse than what she had ever seen Davide bear.

Her son was lying in his small, dirty bed, huddled under a thick comforter and cuddling the first letter Lucius had sent and a large, crimson nightshirt. She settled herself on the edge of his bed and restrained the urge to run her hand through his hair. Her poor, precious son.

Small black eyes peered up through fallen-forward hair and Eileen watched, heart breaking, as tears fell from her precious son's eyes. "Oh, son," she breathed, and handed her son Lucius's letter.

Long, trembling fingers took the thick, creamy envelope and Severus pressed his cheek to the letter, fresh tears spilling out of his black eyes. Something cold brushed over Eileen's cheek and she saw a flash of pale grey as she swung her head around to stare at the otherwise empty room. Eileen shivered and set the parcels next to Severus, sitting back on his bed to lean against the wall. Severus continued crying as he read through Lucius's magic-soaked letter, and then he ripped the parcels open, visibly gagging as he sat up, and then he pulled a large black robe on, some of the color returning to his face. The other parcel contained a small clear crystal sphere, small enough to fit in Severus's closed fist, and he clutched it to his chest, bowing his head.

"He can't pick me up until the twenty-fourth," Severus gasped, and bent forward to press his forehead to Lucius's letters. "Mother, I can't do this! I need him!"

"Hush," Eileen begged, and made an aborted movement to pet her son's hair. "I'll run you a bath. Davide always felt better after a hot bath."

Severus gagged again but slowly followed his mother to his parents' bathroom. He curled into a ball in the corner and read through Lucius's letter again.

_Pet,_

_Your mother just sent me a frantic missive that you are greatly suffering. Who touched you? If it was that Mudblood, I am greatly disappointed in you and I will punish you for your disobedience. You would not be suffering so terribly if you had not been touched. However, that is the least of my worries now. You are in pain and that is my concern. I layered pure magic upon this letter and wore the robe for two days, and soaked it in Dark magic as to make you more comfortable._

_The crystal sphere is a physical manifestation of my pure magic. It is very, very rare and extraordinarily valuable. Do not let it out of your sight. It will help you but will not make you feel better as skin-to-skin contact would. I cannot do anything about that, as I am unable to leave the Manor to pick you up until the twenty-fourth. My father is busy with work and my mother is at 12 Grimmauld Place, assisting with setting up for the Black Ball. I am stuck in Malfoy Manor, unable to use magic to come to you. My father has promised to either be back by the twenty-fourth or to send my mother and me to pick you up._

_Know I miss you terribly and I will not allow you to suffer as you are now ever again. I care deeply for you, my own, and I am doing my best to come to you as soon as possible. The Amet ritual will make this far easier on you and I sincerely apologize for not solidifying your bond to me before you went home. Your misery is partly my fault, and know I am very apologetic for putting you through such agony._

_Do not fret, pet. I will be there as soon as I can._

_Lucius_

Severus gagged but stripped, pulling Lucius's robe back on before he dropped into the bath, and he curled up into a ball in the hot water, pressing his forehead to the crystal sphere and ignoring his mother when she quietly told him he shouldn't have worn the robe in the bath. Severus hadn't been able to stop himself; he couldn't bear to spend any time parted from even Lucius's magic.

Eileen left the bathroom when it was clear her son was unresponsive, and she wondered if she should owl her father and beg for forgiveness.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Twentieth**

He hadn't eaten for almost three days and was barely able to keep water down. He had spent the last twenty-four hours in delirium, convinced Lucius had permanently abandoned him and had taken Lily as his Amet instead. Nothing his mother or Nessie said could convince him otherwise, and Severus was huddled on his bed, begging the otherwise empty room—he had sent Eileen and Nessie away—for just one more touch from Lucius. Eileen had attempted to go through his trunk to try to find him a Nutrition Potion but the wards Severus had placed upon it during his school year had thrown her back and caused her hands to become covered in irregular blue spots.

After careful deliberation, Eileen had borrowed Lily's owl once again and sent her father a plea for his assistance. She had been estranged from her parents for almost ten years; her father had been infuriated with her that she had married a Muggle, but had attempted to get to know Tobias for the sake of his daughter. Lewenhart had only stopped talking to her when Tobias insulted Davide when Severus was two.

Nessie hovered in the doorway to Severus's room, cloaked in a black shroud that covered him from head to toe, leaving only the tips of his fingers and toes visible, his vivid green eyes glittering in the darkness. The butterfly fluttered around his head, changing its flight as to not obscure his vision. Severus was crying out for Lucius and Nessie ducked into the room, moving over to rest his fingers against Severus's flushed cheek.

Severus froze, glassy black eyes roving around the room. "Lucius?" His voice was weak and his question came out as a sad cry.

"Y's," Nessie told him, and brushed a kiss over Severus's cheek. "Y'u m'st c'lm d'wn."

Severus complied, turning his head to lean it against Nessie's palm. His thin lips twisted as he closed his eyes. "You feel different, Lucius," Severus murmured, but smiled anyway. "Oh Slytherin, I missed you. Lily touched me—I thought you left me!"

"I w'uld n'ver l'ave y'u," Nessie swore, and sat up when Eileen rushed into the room.

"Severus? Who are you talking to?"

"Lucius is here," Severus gasped, and then turned to retch over the side of the bed, nothing coming up but a mouthful of sour water. "I thought he had left me."

Eileen said nothing, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. Severus truly looked as if he was resting his head on someone's lap and had his hands running up and down someone's chest. Her poor son; if she ever found out who had done this travesty to her boy, she'd hunt down the wand Tobias had taken from her and curse the living hell out of them.

Turning down her lips, Eileen left the room and her son.

Severus turned in Nessie's arms, arching up to lean his forehead against his boy's. "Lucius," he begged, "make the pain go away."

Nessie nodded and in the moment before he leaned down to cover Severus's mouth with his own, he begged to whoever could be listening that Lucius would never have to take Severus's pain away like this.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Twenty-First**

_Eileen, my beautiful daughter,_

_I dearly apologize but neither I nor Davide can help you or your Severus. The only one that can help him is his owner. Read up on the Amet laws, dear daughter._

_We send you our love, dearest._

_Your loving father,_

_Lewenhart Prince_

_Lord Prince_

Eileen read the letter over again before crumpling it up and throwing it across the kitchen. The first contact she had with her father in ten years and the…the _jerk_ hadn't changed one bit. She didn't know why she was surprised, but her father's blatant neglect of everyone other than Davide had always seemed to shock her, even though she had grown up with it. Sometimes she wondered if the lack of her father's love had sent her into the arms of an abusive Muggle man, and sometimes she didn't care, happy that with whatever happened, she still had her beloved son.

* * *

The sonnet Severus quoted is Pablo Neruda's famous sonnet XVII from _100 Love Sonnets_.

I wrote approximately 21000 words for NaNoWriMo. I'm proud I wrote that much but I didn't even get half-way to winning. Damn.

I apologize for the lateness of this chapter—on the 19th, my horse and I got into a trailer wreck driving home from school. We're both okay, but he was in the hospital until the 27th. He's been my priority for the past week and I haven't been able to write.

Also! Congrats to me, we just recently hit the two year anniversary of TH's publishing! Whoooooooo  
-Replacement


	64. Chapter Sixtyfour, The Light Outside

_**Tender Hooks  
**_**By: Replacement for the Stars**

Chapter Sixty-four:  
The Light Outside Is Blinding

_He's riding hard to catch that herd, but he ain't caught 'em yet  
__'Cause they've got to ride forever on that range up in the sky  
__On horses snorting fire  
__As they ride on hear their cry  
_'Ghost Riders In The Sky', Johnny Cash

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Twenty-third**

Nessie was the only one in the living room when the fireplace flared green and Lucius stepped out, looking tall and proud, a hint of disgust at his surroundings and only the faintest hint of concern. It was almost four o'clock in the morning and Eileen was with Severus, trying to convince him not to drown himself in the bath or throw himself down the stairs. The past few days had been the worst yet, and Nessie had needed to get away from the stress and the worry and the heartache and the fear for just a few minutes.

Lucius was staring at the bookshelves directly across the room from the fireplace, a faintly amused look on his pale face. Nessie wanted to scream at him, wanted to throttle him for leaving Severus so alone and so weak, wanted to steal Severus's wand and layer some of those strange, painful spells on the blond, but didn't move except to whisper, "H''s upst'irs, L'ci's." Lucius didn't hear him and merely continued looking around for a few long minutes before stepping away from the fireplace and pacing around the room.

"I k'nd of w'nt to h'rt y'u," Nessie admitted without taking his green eyes off Lucius's concerned face. "B't Sevvie l'ves y'u, and th't m'ans I do t'o. Th'nk y'u f'r c'ming a d'y e'rly."

It took a great deal more time than Nessie was comfortable being alone with Lucius for the fire to flare again and for Abraxas Malfoy to step out and bellow for Eileen. The two blond men stood in front of the fireplace and Abraxas gruffly muttered, "He better be in poor shape, boy, or I'll have to punish you for making me come to this…_hole_ a day early." Nessie frowned and floated up the stairs when the bookshelf slid to the side.

Severus's screams for Lucius were instantly audible, and Lucius's panic and concern filled the cramped house to the brim as he pushed past his father and rushed up the stairs. Abraxas frowned at his surroundings and sedately followed behind, but once he made it up the stairs and stopped right before Nessie, the small boy could see the masked concern on the Lord Malfoy's pale face. He looked up to see Eileen being pushed out of Severus's room and there were a few moments of awkwardness as Eileen attempted to make herself presentable with vomit soaking her clothes and nasty, bleeding scratches up and down her arms.

Abraxas sniffed but quickly cleaned Eileen up with a few waves of his wand. She attempted to apologize but he waved her off, inviting her down to her own sitting room for tea. Nessie watched them go and then floated through the wall into Severus's room. Floating through walls was always a bit strange; it didn't feel like he was moving through anything but he knew there was supposed to be something there.

He looked down to see Severus, naked, kneeling at Lucius's feet while Lucius dipped his fingers into some small pot of white potion and spread lines of it over Severus's shaking shoulders and down the line of his back and over his pale, sunken chest. Lucius was whispering under his breath and Severus was quivering, long fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides, as if it was all he could do to stop himself from grabbing onto Lucius and never letting go. Nessie settled in a dark corner and forced himself to watch.

Severus was crying once again, silently now, tears streaking down his cheeks and falling to stain the cold floor. Lucius continued spreading the white potion across his sallow skin and bent down to write his claiming on the soft skin between Severus's jutting hipbones, smirking when Severus couldn't stop from pressing a kiss to the side of his mouth. "Good boy," Lucius whispered between ritual spells, and Severus visibly brightened, leaning into Lucius's touch when the blond spread potion over the sharp lines of his face.

Once Severus had been properly covered with the Amet ritual potion, Lucius set it aside and pulled out his wand, pressing the tip to his right palm and then holding his hand to Severus's lips, smearing them with blood. Desperate for any manner of contact, Severus nuzzled Lucius's fingers and opened his mouth to allow the blood in. His magic and blood burnt and Lucius whispered, "The pet takes the blood of the master from the hand he will eat from, and the master marks the pet with the blood he will serve." Lucius took his hand from Severus's mouth and stared for a long moment at the boy's bloodstained mouth, and then briskly moved his palm over Severus's cheeks and forehead before continuing the ritual spells.

"Behold, thou art my servant, and that the like may be done for you: 'ere and behold, I am your Master."

Severus suddenly stiffened, black eyes bright as Lucius finished the ritual by running his bleeding palm down the center line of Severus's chest and rewriting his claiming in blood, and then after putting his wand and the jar of ritual potion away in his robes, Lucius hauled Severus into his arms and they dropped onto the bed, Lucius stripping down to his undershorts and laying on top of Severus.

"Lucius," Severus moaned, eyes shuttering shut as he fisted his hands in Lucius's long hair, pressing himself as close to the older Slytherin as he could manage with his weakened form and trembling magic. "Oh, Slytherin, I haven't been able to _breathe_ without you," he gasped, and as Lucius rolled them onto their sides and strong arms wrapped around him, Severus's magic sparked and burnt him and then pleasurably settled deep in his gut, burning where Lucius had inscribed his name, and Severus closed his eyes, finally able to sleep.

Lucius held his boy until he was able to move away without Severus crying out and scrabbling for him, and he pulled Severus to lean against him as he quickly dressed and then briskly searched the room for Severus's belongings. He found the crystal sphere of his magic and held in his relieved sigh. He hadn't been worried that Severus would misplace it, but it went against his nature to trust anyone with something so intrinsically valuable. Lucius pulled the robe he had sent to Severus over the small boy and then packed the rest of Severus's meager belongings in his small trunk, sliding Severus's wand in his own pocket.

After looking around the tiny, dreary room one last time, Lucius hauled Severus into his arms and left, pulling Severus's trunk behind him.

(O.o)

Eileen and Abraxas looked up at the same time as Lucius stepped down the stairs, Severus drowning in a massive robe and clearly asleep in Lucius's arms. Abraxas pushed to his feet and flicked his wand at the small trunk on the stairs behind his son, Summoning it to him and shrinking it. He put the tiny trunk in his pocket as he looked over his son and his new Amet. "You solidified the ritual," Abraxas drawled, motioning for Lucius to make himself a cup of tea.

The two Malfoys sat, but Eileen stayed on her feet, swaying slightly as she stared at her slumbering son. "May I touch him?" she whispered.

"Of course not," Lucius snapped, moving Severus so Eileen could not see his face. She collapsed back onto the couch and stared at her lap while Lucius continued, clearly irritated, "He's been separated from me for twenty-two days, the majority of which he's been suffering from a severe magical drain as well as forced separation of a magical bond. Not only can he not touch anyone other than myself in typical circumstances, but his magic is strained because of my absence and then the solidifying of the Amet bond, and his core will become permanently scarred. I will not have him damaged in any manner, Madame Prince, not even if it pains his mother or himself." Lucius swung his head around to glare at her, and Eileen nodded, appropriately cowed.

"Did he take to the solidifying well, son?" Abraxas asked as he took a sip of the sour tea.

Silver-grey eyes flashed but Lucius replied, "Of course, Father. He's recovering from our separation as well as the solidification of the bond. He'll need the next few days to recover before the Ball, however, and I'll be sure to spend that time instructing him on proper etiquette. I know he will be able to get away with a higher breach of propriety as he is now a Prince and they were always a bit eccentric"—Eileen lifted her chin proudly and met Lucius's gaze with a stern nod—"but he must know the basics and I won't have him shame our family."

Abraxas snorted rather inelegantly and Nessie realized he had toned down his usual haughty behavior to make Eileen more comfortable. They really did care about Severus, he realized, and he watched in shock as Abraxas threw Severus a faintly fond look before turning his attention to Eileen. Eileen flushed and looked down at her knees, and in shock, Nessie came to the understanding that Eileen and Abraxas had been in school together, most likely either in the same year or close to it. How well had they known each other? Had they been friends? He knew they had both been in Slytherin, but Eileen had always been a bit of a loner, a trait she had passed on to her son. He resolved to find out and continued watching them.

Lucius pushed to his feet, Severus clasped to his chest, and he bowed slightly to his father and Eileen before announcing he was taking his leave. Abraxas replied he would be along momentarily, and Nessie clutched onto Severus's overlarge robes—that still reeked of Lucius's magic—and squeezed his eyes shut when they stepped into the fireplace. The last image he had was of Abraxas sitting next to Eileen on the couch, both of them smiling softly at one another.

Malfoy Manor was as cold and dark and faintly creepy as it had been the last time Nessie had been there, and he moved off once he saw Lucius had made sure Severus was still asleep and alright. He floated down the empty, dreary halls of the Manor for a very long while before finding himself in Abraxas's office. He had never wondered what Abraxas did for a living but found himself wondering now—anything to keep his attention off what Lucius was doing to Severus to take his pain away.

His limited reading abilities made it so he couldn't comprehend most of what was written on the parchments, but what he did understand was that Abraxas did something that had to do with curses and wards (whatever those were) and goblins and a new desk. He shrugged and then looked up when the fireplace in Abraxas's office flared green and Eileen stepped through, followed a moment later by Abraxas, who waved her to one of the chairs in front of his desk before sitting down behind it.

"I do apologize for you being unable to attend the Black Ball," Abraxas told her, as if he was continuing a conversation from before they had arrived in his office. Eileen was merely looking at him, not staring around as Severus and Nessie had done when they had first stepped into Malfoy Manor. It was clear she had been here before.

Eileen shrugged, pulling her Muggle coat tighter around her shoulders. "I understand pureblood politics, Abraxas. I wasn't invited and I've been evicted from the magical world."

"You could merely appear," Abraxas pointed out, "As my son has pointed out, the Prince family has long been known for being eccentric, and no one would find it odd that you knew of the Ball. It has been a Black tradition for many, many generations."

Eileen shook her head, clasping her hands rather primly in her lap. She looked distinctly out of place in the elegance of the Manor in her strange, worn Muggle clothes. "I only wish for my son to be happy," she whispered, and Abraxas twisted his lips.

"Of course," he replied, and moved a few of the parchments on his desk around. "I have the forms your…_husband_ must sign to relinquish any ties to young Severus. Once he has signed them, you'll be pleased to know that your…home will be transferred to your name, as there is a magical inheritance law that dictates if there are one or more pure-line wizards staying in a Muggle-owned house, the eldest witch or wizard is automatically granted the house. You don't have to suffer any longer, dear Eileen," Abraxas murmured, and Eileen felt herself caught in his silver-grey gaze. The Prince line had always been so weak for the Malfoy charm…it was so depressing how her son had been so easily swayed into Lucius's bed, but she wouldn't have chosen anyone else to keep her precious son safe.

"I must stay in that house until Severus has graduated from Hogwarts," Eileen replied, her tone dismissive, and she reached across the desk to take the bloodline removal parchment from Abraxas's limp hand.

"May I enquire why? You should not subject yourself to such…degradation, Eileen. You are one of the last true witches of the Wizarding world, and yet you allow yourself to be defiled and destroyed by a mere Muggle."

Eileen wouldn't look at him while she retook her seat. "He gave me Severus," she whispered, and the room was heavy with uncomfortable silence before she haltingly continued, "I suppose I once wished to prove my father wrong. He hated Muggles and taught me they were all cruel and would destroy any magic they could get their hands on. He was always so insistent that each and every Muggle was a cruel waste of flesh, but I couldn't see the truth. I thought he was wrong and married the first Muggle who looked twice at me. Oh, Abraxas…I was so _wrong_, so unbelievably and incredibly wrong…have you seen what he has done to my precious son?"

Abraxas looked at the door behind Eileen and nodded sharply to his wife as she appeared in the doorway. "Yes, I have. Your son has been hurt by your poor choices, but you have made the best one possible by giving him to my son. Lucius cares far too much for your Severus to ever hurt him. Come in, dear."

Callidora stepped in and shut the door behind her before taking the empty seat next to Eileen and smiling gently at her. "Hello, Eileen. How have you been faring?"

Frowning, Eileen stared at Callidora, a strange jealous eagerness overtaking her harsh features. Callidora had always been so beautiful, and Eileen had always been weak for beauty. She had followed Callidora and Abraxas around, like some lost pet, during their years at Hogwarts, and while she had never really been noticed by them, she had soothed herself to sleep many-a-night with dreams of what she knew could never be. She was nothing like them: ugly and quiet, with just her Gobstones and books for company, nothing like their suave skills and incessant charm.

"How are the preparations for the Black Ball coming along?" Eileen asked instead, an uncaring tone in her voice. Callidora smiled gently at her and gave Eileen one of her soft, secret smiles.

"As well as can be expected. Narcissa has spent the past two weeks or so attempting to turn me against your son as well as stepping far out of line with trying to force her father's hand in changing the betrothal contract, and Bellatrix has been fully supporting her. Those two are rather dangerous together. Poor Narcissa has been distraught over Lucius taking your Severus as an Amet, I am displeased to admit, and Abraxas has assured me he will be having a talk with Cygnus and Druella on proper wife behavior. Lucius and Severus will also be punishing her the night before the Ball on grounds of breech of betrothal propriety." Callidora smiled gently at her husband and as he nodded in return, Eileen looked down at her lap before the ugly jealous look she knew was surfacing on her face could take over. Tobias never looked at her like that.

"That's good," Eileen hedged, unsure of what answer Callidora wanted. With Tobias, it was always better to not answer at all than say the wrong thing, and she couldn't properly remember if either of them cared if she was her usual sullen self or not.

Abraxas threw her a strange, dark look and suddenly announced. "You'll be staying here for the next few days, Eileen. You need a few days away from that terrible…_husband_ of yours, as I am certain you know."

"Oh, I couldn't…"

"Nonsense," Callidora interjected with a frown. "You know you need a reprieve from that monster you married. Don't you forget what you told me about him right before you married him. 'A controlling beast', if I remember correctly, and you said you'd never made such a mistake. You'll let us take care of you now, dear Eileen. Your son is now family and so are you."

With a nod from Abraxas, Callidora ushered Eileen out of the room and Abraxas sat in silence for a great long time, his only company Nessie, who was staring at him in shock. He'd had no idea…

(O.o)

Severus came to with a pained groan, and he found himself gasping Lucius's name before he was completely awake. He opened his eyes to see a wide expansive of pale, warm flesh, and the settling warmth of his magic told him it was Lucius, and Severus found himself pressing a few frantic kisses to the skin in front of him before he could stop himself. "Oh, Lucius," he rasped, and buried his head in Lucius's chest. "I've…"

"Hush, pet," Lucius rasped, and pressed a full kiss to Severus's open lips. Heavy hands moved over Severus's bare form and then pressed him up against Lucius's front. "We have to go wash the ritual potion off you. Can you stand?"

Severus nodded and tried to move, but retched when he wasn't touching Lucius any longer. "Ritual potion?" he gasped, throwing himself back into Lucius's arms and pressing his face back into the crook of Lucius's neck. "Lucius…" He took a deep breath and felt himself relax again as Lucius wrapped strong arms around his waist and then slid off the bed, quickly moving over to the bathroom. He tried to set Severus down in the bath but the small boy wouldn't let go, and so Lucius quickly ran the bath and once the tub was full of hot, soothing water, he double-checked that they were both naked and then slid in. Severus groaned under his breath and pushed himself into Lucius's chest, murmuring Lucius's name incessantly under his breath.

"I solidified the Amet ritual once I had you back in my arms," Lucius started without preamble, as he ran a soft rag over Severus's shaking shoulders. "No one can take you from me now." The potion turned the water white for a few minutes and then Lucius drained the tub, soothing Severus with his hands running up and down his back and thighs. Severus let out a shuddering sigh as Lucius refilled the bath, and tucked his head under Lucius's chin, reaching up to twist his hands in Lucius's long hair. "Tell me what you suffered, my own."

Severus shook his head but replied, "Terrible. I was so empty, so _wrong_. I remember you being there but I don't think you were…it was all her fault! She touched me and I couldn't stop her and then you weren't there to make me whole again…"

"The Mudblood?"

Severus nodded, outing his friend without remorse. He no longer cared even the smallest bit about Lily, especially after what she had forced him to suffer. He had spent so long in agony because of that _witch_, and he swore he'd never forgive her. "She _hugged_ me," Severus spat, and shuddered at the memory of the utter wrongness and terror that had flooded his system. He wondered how long it would take for his magic and the bond to recover what she had done to him.

"Do not worry, pet," Lucius soothed, tugging on Severus's nasty hair so the boy canted his head back to look up into Lucius's face, and then he pressed a needy kiss to Severus's mouth. "I'll do to her what I do to the Black boy," he promised, and kissed Severus again, running his hands over the curve of Severus's bum.

Severus pulled away and leaned his chin on Lucius's chest, arms wrapped loosely around Lucius's neck. He kept his dark gaze locked on Lucius's face as he slowly asked, "What'd you do to Black?"

"He hurt you, my pet," Lucius replied dismissively, and moved Severus so he was sitting on the side of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his boy. "So I hurt him back, and removed the memory of the event."

Severus nodded slowly and moved to wrap his arms around his stomach but Lucius stopped him, opening the towel to look at the marked skin between Severus's hipbones: _Property of Lucius Malfoy_, written in small, sharp, black letters. "Mine," Lucius rasped, and traced his claiming. "You'll have to show people this," he offhandedly told his boy, and lifted Severus into his arms and carefully stepped out of the tub before taking Severus back to his bed. After making sure they were dry, Lucius dropped under the covers and yanked Severus back into his arms.

"What did you do to Black?" Severus asked again with a yawn, pushing Lucius onto his back and curling up on top of Lucius's chest.

"No more than what was done to Vaisey," Lucius said, petting his boy's hair with a soft hand. "The usual, really. Cruciatus, a few blood-burning curses"—Severus's eyebrows raised and he smirked with pleasure—"as well as an evidently faulty controlling spell to have him leave you alone. It's possible that the influence of that Potter brat was more powerful than my spell, as I didn't put too much power into it, as there was the possibility of Dumbledore finding out."

"You Obliviated him?"

"Of course, pet. Don't worry; I know how to keep you safe. There is no possibility of anyone finding out what I did to Black."

Severus nodded and wrapped his arms around Lucius's neck as the older Slytherin moved to lean against the pile of pillows at the head of his bed. "I missed you," Severus whispered, on the verge of sleep, and smiled when Lucius replied in kind.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Twenty-forth**

Severus smiled gently at Nessie, who was hovering in the corner, butterfly fluttering around his head, and then turned his attention back to Lucius as the older boy searched through his supply of books for those on pureblood propriety. As Severus was bedridden until the twenty-fifth, Lucius had sworn to get him properly prepared for the Ball in two days, and Severus had reluctantly agreed, especially as he really had nothing else to do.

Lucius dropped a few books onto the bed and then crawled back in next to Severus, pulling the smaller boy into his lap and soothing Severus's magic with soft touches and gentle words. "Hush, pet," Lucius murmured, and pulled the comforter up to Severus's waist, pressing his hand to his claiming mark, causing Severus to gasp and then fall back against him, his magic shooting sparks through his body, burning white-hot and swooshing in his gut. "Calm yourself."

Severus nodded with a gasp and then turned so he was leaning against Lucius's chest, and slowly felt his magic calm down. He still couldn't feel the difference in the solidified bond than what it had been before, but he trusted Lucius's word that it had been done. "What do you have to teach me?" he asked softly, an irritated grumble in his voice, but he held in a smile as Lucius pet his hair.

"Manners, of course. My father isn't going to be very particular about how you act—"

"So then why teach me?" Severus frowned and butted his head against Lucius's hand when the elder Slytherin stopped petting him. Lucius quickly resumed his caresses as he rolled his eyes.

"Such a needy pet," Lucius remarked, and smirked as Severus flushed. "Because you must know proper etiquette, even if you do not follow our rules," Lucius replied, his voice still soft and understanding. Severus nodded but still rolled his eyes, winking at Nessie when his boy blew him a kiss before leaving the room. Lucius smiled and pulled Severus's head up to press a kiss to his mouth before beginning the first lesson.

"I know you've spent a great deal of time around purebloods, my own, but knowing you, you haven't paid much attention. We are men of bad faith, we Malfoys, and I expect you'll live up to our standard. We are loyal to none but our family and those who belong to us, and we will do anything to keep ourselves safe, even betray those we serve. We are aligned with the Dark Lord because it serves our needs in keeping the Wizarding world pure. You'll do good to remember that.

"We follow a strict set of rules: one, family first. Two, self-preservation. Never go into a situation without knowing every possible outcome and the consequences of each. Third, use any possible means to achieve your goals, even if that means breaking the law or hurting someone. If it takes murder to, say, keep yourself or me safe, then you commit murder without hesitation. You'll be expected to keep a high level of decorum, as well—treat every pureblood, beside the blood-traitors, with respect, don't let your temper get away from you, and…that's all my father wishes for you to know. The others don't matter because my father and I agreed we'll have a difficult enough time getting you to follow those." Lucius smiled slightly and pulled Severus up so he was sitting next to Lucius.

Lucius pushed the covers back and moved down so he could investigate his claiming mark. Idly, he said, "You'll have to get one more of these. The Malfoy crest, and I'll have to change your Salutem. Those aren't necessary for the bond but they'll make your magic feel better. I'll have the crest done tonight and I can do the Salutem now." Severus shrugged, uncaring, and leaned back into the pillows as Lucius leaned over him to grab his wand off the nightstand.

Lucius rested back against the pillows and pulled Severus into his lap, arranging the boy until Severus was leaning back against Lucius's raised knees, their uninterested cocks pressed together. While Lucius still wanted to fuck the boy blind, the bond between them made it unable for his body to have a physical reaction to the boy's presence. Pity.

Lucius raised his wand and pressed the tip to the blank metal disk of Severus's Salutem, and merely wrote his initials in the dull silver above _To keep you safe_. Severus smirked and turned to curl up against Lucius's chest, bringing up his right hand to clutch his Salutem. Lucius tugged the comforter up over them and found himself regretting, just for a short moment, that he hadn't turned Severus into a companion. It would be only a short while until Severus was able to feel what Lucius was feeling, and Lucius wanted to experience the dirty lust toward his boy for as long as he was able.

Twisting his lips in a nasty smile, Lucius plucked a few hairs from Severus's head and secreted them in his nightstand drawer. If he couldn't have Severus, then, perhaps, he could have the closest thing to him.

(O.o)  
Year: **1972  
**Date: **July the Twenty-fifth**

Lucius looked up when someone tapped slightly on the door to his quarters, and he summoned them in with a low call of his voice. At his feet, Severus grumbled but kept his head in Lucius's lap, the bond forcing him to be subservient until his magic settled again. The new crest on the back of Severus's neck caught Narcissa's attention as she stepped into the room, but she pretended not to notice as she curtseyed to her betrothed.

"Lucius," she murmured, and took the seat Lucius waved her into. She looked as if she was going to say something but managed to stop herself, although when Lucius began petting Severus's hair, she blurted, "So you solidified the bond?" She gaped at Severus's content smile and then couldn't look away when his hair fell away from the crest.

"Yes, dear, although that is none of your business. Now, I've been informed you attempted to break our betrothal contract by informing your parents I had made a breach of contract. Is this true?"

Narcissa stiffed and wished she hadn't worn the cloak with the Black crest upon the back. She knew Lucius would take it as a slight against the Malfoy house, which it was. "Yes."

"And what did your parents say when you attempted to break our contract?" Lucius asked, and his tone was uncaring and idle as he pet Severus's hair, as if he did not care one way or the other. But Narcissa could see the nasty glint in his eye and she knew she would not leave this room without screaming. Lucius had been bred to serve the Dark Lord after all, and was terribly sadistic.

"My father informed me I was a blight upon the Black name and that any attempt on my part to dissolve our contract would end up in me being either disinherited or evicted from the magical world, and that I was not to attempt to meddle in the affairs of men." Narcissa threw Lucius a sharp look and felt herself melt inside at the nastily approving look. She knew how dangerous he was, even at sixteen, but he was so perfectly _powerful_.

Lucius nodded once, sharply, and threw Narcissa a cruel look as he intentionally swept Severus's hair off the boy's neck, baring the Malfoy crest, causing stark jealousy to race through Narcissa's veins. _She_ should be the claimed one, not this brat of a worthless halfbred boy! She sneered at the brat but ruthlessly met Lucius's gaze when he turned his attention back to her.

"I am not irritated with your degradation of my name, not enough to punish you as I must." Narcissa stared and then looked back down to see Severus smirking haughtily at her, his head canted to the side as he kept his cheek pressed to Lucius's thigh. Horror flooded through her and she hoped her instinct was wrong. "You insulted my pet."

Narcissa was shaking her head before she realized she had even moved. "No, Lucius, I never meant—"

"Pet," Lucius snapped, and Severus was on his feet, the wand suddenly in his hand pointed directly at Narcissa, and before she could finish her sentence, Severus sneered and cried out a nasty curse.

"_Morsus_!"

She screeched in agony and threw herself from the chair, full-body agony wracking her system as she flailed around. It was nearly as painful as the Cruciatus Curse, but in a different manner; she could feel Severus's nasty, twisted distaste for her surge through her system, and as the curse was pulled off Narcissa, she realized with a pained gasp that the strength of the curse was powered by the strength of the hate of the caster toward the recipient.

"What have I ever done to you?" she rasped, taking herself up on her hands and knees and coughing up dark black blood. Severus gave a nasty, sharp little laugh and Narcissa choked again, peering up through her fallen-forward hair to see Severus kneel again at Lucius's feet, his dark eyes glinting at her.

"You hurt him," the boy replied simply, and leaned his weight against Lucius's leg.

"Get out, _dear_," Lucius snapped, and Narcissa pulled herself together enough to stagger out of the room. As the door closed, she looked back to see Lucius pull Severus into his lap and dip his hand beneath Severus's plain black slacks. She gagged and ran away.

Lucius pressed his hand to the claiming mark and felt Severus relax fully against him, moving slightly so Lucius was able to touch it easier. The boy was so easy to please, he mused, and forced Severus to bow his head forward so he could examine the Malfoy crest. It was predominately green and black, with silver accents, with spears running through the four corners and a large silver M covering most the shield, and two black dragon-type creatures intertwined with two green winged snakes, one pair on either side of the shield. There was a silver banner running across the bottom of the shield, bearing the words _Sanctimonia Vincet Semper_ in elegant black script. Lucius pressed a kiss to the shield and Severus sighed and then was asleep in his arms a few minutes later.

Lucius smirked and held his boy close.

(O.o)  
**Early Afternoon**

As Lucius was busy talking to both his and Narcissa's parents, Severus had gone looking for Nessie and the potions lab. He had been walking for what felt like a year and had only found Nessie messing with the house elves. It was excruciating to walk down the halls, next to Nessie and unable to reach over or talk to him because of the hundreds of painted eyes staring at him as he walked along. Only a few of the portraits would speak to him, and only then when he showed him the Malfoy crest on the back of his neck and the Salutem around his neck and the Annulus on his finger. None of the portraits that _would_ talk to him would tell him where the potions laboratory was, though, and Severus had given up hope he would ever find it.

Severus had somehow gotten from the dungeons to the entrance hall, and was admiring the enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling and holding back his smile at Nessie's mocking commentary of the stern-faced portraits lining the hallways around the entrance hall, when there was a loud thud and the massive front doors slammed open, revealing a giant man with glowing yellow eyes, bracketed by the wild, dark storm behind him.

"Well," the man growled, a nasty smile in his voice, "what do we have here?"

* * *

Even though it might seem like this is a Lucius/Severus, I swear this will only ever be a Snarry.


End file.
